Wizard of FT
by KitkatTenshi
Summary: Lucy's life has always been complicated living in Magnolia, but recently, the complications have become insanely absurd, all because of one dragonslayer. In an accident at the guild, her memory gets damaged and she gets transported to another world. Can Lucy make it back to kill Natsu, or is she stuck in the magical world of Oz forever? Rated T
1. Gale Storm

Chapter 1- Gale Storm

Lucy Heartfilia was doing one of her most favorite things to do in the whole world, and, for the first time in days, she was feeling not as hopeless about her situation. True, she may have just been ignoring the situation completely, but dwelling on the matter itself had brought her nothing but a headache.

Lucy's nose buried further into her book, reading page after page hungrily. She was getting absorbed into these books Levy had given her, tales of romance and adventure, knights and dragons. Levy had purchased them from a traveler who said they were from another world, unlike anything they'd ever seen before. Lucy had to agree with the seller; she couldn't put the book in her hands down, just like all the others that were stored in her room, safe from Natsu under her bed where he'd never find them.

Lucy glanced up from her book, looking at the slowly approaching guild. She hadn't shown her face in a week, she'd been so busy with her thoughts and reading, but her fridge was empty, and she needed more money if she was ever going to pay for her rent. She'd been purposefully avoiding it, simply because HE was constantly there, and she was thoroughly done with him and all the lies that were spreading through the guild.

Lucy sighed as she shut her book, feeling her depressed resignation flooding her again. Natsu was being painfully oblivious to her plight, but he'd thankfully had enough sense to leave her alone while she'd been brooding. Still moping, she stepped onto the ledge of the waterway, continuing on her way. She still didn't believe Mirajane's words, there was no way she'd ever like Natsu as anything more than a friend. He was obnoxious and loud, incorrigible to a fault and absolutely disgusting all the time. And while he loved his nakama more than anything, that's all he and Lucy were supposed to be; nakama. At least until Mirajane opened her big mouth and made life a thousand times more complicated. With a grimace, she recalled the last time she'd been in the guild, and the conversation that had taken place.

* * *

_"Mirajane, for the last time, Natsu and I aren't dating!" Lucy moaned as she sat with Levy at the bar, who was giggling and not helping the situation in any way. _

_ Mirajane grinned, a twinkle in her eye. "Lucy, he's head over heels for you; even a blind person could see that."_

_ Levy nodded her agreement. "You've got him on a string Lucy, you could snap your fingers and he'd be at your beck and call!"_

_ Lucy shook her head, gesturing across the room where Natsu and Elfman were having an arm wrestling contest. "Look, he's just not into me. Besides, he had Lisanna, remember?"_

_ Mirajane laughed outright at that. "My sister? She's too wrapped up with work and her latest crush to bother with Natsu. They used to get along fairly well as kids, but people change Lucy. And while my sister's taste in men isn't up to my standard…" Her eyes flashed a dark, mysterious color before returning to their normal color. "She's informed me that Natsu isn't her type."_

_ Levy nodded, but Lucy groaned, shaking her head. "I won't believe it till Natsu tells me himself. But I don't like him like that Mirajane, and I doubt he does too."_

_ Levy jumped up to her feet. "I'll accept that challenge!" She said with a smirk, and she walked over to the group of men cheering on a huffing and puffing Elfman as Natsu grinned, pushing the big man's arm to the table._

_ Lucy watched her go, unease settling in her stomach. "Levy, what are you doing?" She called out, and Levy waved her off._

_ Natsu roared as Elfman's arm hit the table. "No one can beat me!" He yelled, a broad grin stretched across his face as he jumped up on the table. "I'm the champ!"_

_ "Then I challenge you!" Levy yelled over the group of men cheering, and instantly every eye was on her._

_ Natsu looked appalled. "What?"_

_ Levy grinned. "You heard me. I'm challenging you, Natsu, to an arm wrestling match." _

_ The guild went quiet, then someone laughed. "You? Against Natsu? How drunk are you Levy?"_

_ The men started laughing, but Levy banged her fist against the table. "I'll do it and win! I bet you I will!"_

_ Natsu moved forward, eyes glittering. "Then fine. Let's go then Levy."_

_ Levy grinned, eyes shining with the same maniacal gleam. "Let's make it interesting. If I win, you spill your darkest secret to the entire guild, here and now, so that everyone can hear." At the look on Natsu's face, she chuckled. "Yes, that one."_

_ Natsu gritted his teeth. "Then fine! If you lose, then you can't see Gajeel for a month!"_

_ Gajeel spat out his drink from at the bar, but Levy nodded. "Fine. I'm not going to lose."_

_ Cat calls sounded around the bar as Lucy stood up. "Mirajane! Stop her! Natsu's going to break her arm if he isn't careful!"_

_ Mirajane couldn't hide the fear in her eyes, but she shook her head. "Levy's a big girl Lucy. We've got to let her make her own mistakes."_

_ Lucy whirled on Gajeel. "Aren't you going to stop them?"_

_ Gajeel gritted his teeth. "Shorty's gonna be fine." He spat, eyeing Natsu sourly. "But if he breaks her arm, even the Devil himself won't stop me from killing him."_

_ Lucy wrung her hands as Levy and Natsu sat down, both looking extremely determined as they grasped hands. Max moved forward, swallowing nervously as Levy leaned forward, muttering something to a very confused Natsu. "First arm to touch the table loses, no magic allowed. If your elbow leaves the table, you lose. On three. One, twoooo…" He paused to swallow again before he backed away. "THREE!"_

_ If Lucy had blinked, she would have missed the entire thing. The second Max said 'three', Lucy caught Levy's mouth move, and a look of shock fixed itself to Natsu's face. Whatever she'd said caused him to freeze, eyes wide as his brain struggled to make sense of the statement, and Levy slammed his arm against the table._

_ The guild was instantly in an uproar, everyone cheering as Levy was hoisted from her chair into the air. No one was bothering to yell about foul play; everyone was merely glad that Natsu had finally been bested, and by the least likely girl in the guild. Natsu, however, remained in his seat, the shock too much for his poor brain. Lucy bit her lip, trying to keep from laughing at him as she clapped for Levy with everyone else. Levy laughed, flushing slightly as she was paraded around the guild several times before being dropped down in front of Natsu. She whispered something in his ear, and he turned bright red as reality came back to him. _

_ With a smirk, Levy turned around, waving to the entire guild. "Now, Natsu. Isn't there something you want to tell EVERYONE?"_

_ Natsu shook his head. "That was a dirty move Levy."_

_ Happy swooped in, landing on his foster-father's shoulder. "Aye!"_

_ Levy shrugged. "I don't recall anyone saying that I couldn't do that. Just no magic, and my elbow couldn't leave the table."_

_ Happy grinned. "That's true!"_

_ Lucy rolled her eyes as Gajeel stood up. "Come on Salamander! She beat you fair and square, spill the beans! What secret could you have that would be so amazing?" He laughed. "Nothing too earth shattering!"_

_ Natsu stood up, his face still red as he balled his fists. "Shut up Gajeel!"_

_ It didn't take 3 seconds after the words left Natsu's mouth that the rest of the guild was up in arms. "A bet's a bet Natsu!"_

_ "Spill the beans!"_

_ "Come on!"_

_ "Spill it! Spill it!" Lucy winced as the chant began to echo through the guild, and finally Natsu slammed his fist into the table. _

_ "Fine! I'll tell you!" He roared, and Lucy gaped as the table broke in two, a scorch mark where his fist had impacted. Silence reigned as Natsu found himself unable to look at anything, and Lucy turned away with a shake of her head, going back to her notebook as she prepared for what she knew would happen. Natsu would tell his secret, the guild would laugh, and then everyone would begin to fight while Natsu cursed angrily. Mirajane and Levy would make some sort of remark, then continue to try and make her believe that she and Natsu were meant for each other._

_ Lucy glanced back, unable to help herself when Natsu didn't speak for a long time. She would never admit it, but she was rather curious what he was having trouble saying to the guild. It was just like Gajeel said. What could Natsu have to say that was so secret? Every secret he'd ever shared with the guild wasn't too mind-blowing, unless it was the time he confessed to having stolen some of Lucy's… personal belongings. Then she'd practically blown a gasket._

_ Her eyes picked his pink hair out of the crowd quickly, and just as she found him, he looked up, their gazes meeting. He sucked in a deep breath, then he yelled out, "I'minlovewithLucy!"_

_ Lucy froze, her eyes wide as she stared back at Natsu. "Wha-"_

_ Natsu swallowed, straightening up as he watched Lucy, as if waiting for something. After a moment, he took another breath, taking a step forward. "Luce, I'm… I'm in love with you."_

_ Lucy felt like all her blood had frozen in her body, and she looked away, suddenly unable to look at the pink-haired idiot. She shifted awkwardly in the still silence of the guild members who were too shocked to do anything other than stare. "Natsu, don't be ridiculous. We're nakama, you said it yourself."_

_ A hand grabbed her shoulder, pulling her back around to face him. "Luce, when I said that, I thought it was true, but it wasn't. To me you're so much more, I can't stand the thought of losing you to anyone, and when you aren't here nothing feels right anymore. I can't stand it when I see you run off with some guy who leers at you like a piece of meat, or when Loke gets too clingy. And while I still don't understand it completely myself, I know that I love you Lucy. You're like a piece of my soul that was missing, and some jester in weird sunglasses isn't about to take my mate from me."_

_ Lucy's mind was blank as he leaned down and kissed her, and the guild erupted into cheers as Mirajane and Levy started hopping up and down together with joy as Lucy remained frozen to her chair, unable to think. Natsu pulled away, eyeing her curiously. "Luce?" He asked softly, and gently he reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face._

_ Lucy's brain felt like mush, and her heart was pounding in her chest. All that registered in her head was that this was Natsu, and kissing Natsu was a big no-no, but her heart was going crazy against her ribcage, pulling her arms to around his shoulders._

_ She compromised, grabbing his shoulders and pushing him away, a little too roughly as she jumped to her feet. The guild fell silent as Natsu stumbled backwards, confusion written all over his face. "Luce?" _

_ Lucy stumbled backwards, tripping over her feet as she tried to make sense of something. "Natsu, this isn't… I'm not…" She was fighting for words that didn't want to form sentences, and with one final shake of her head, she sprinted for the door, leaving her notebook on the bar counter as the door shut, hiding a very confused Natsu and guild staring after her._

* * *

Lucy frowned at the memory. She'd gone and locked herself in her apartment, bolting and nailing every door and window she owned shut to prevent any unwanted visitors as she'd sorted through her thoughts. Levy had come knocking a day later, but when Lucy didn't answer, she gave up after an hour.

Not that having Levy would have disrupted Lucy's thoughts any; Lucy found it pretty difficult to focus when she thought about Natsu kissing her. More than once she caught herself day-dreaming about kissing him back, running her hands through his hair, and again Lucy found herself shaking her head at the thought. She'd toyed with the idea since Natsu had kissed her, and in the end she'd finally decided how she was going to solve this.

She had no idea what Natsu had meant when he called her his 'mate', but she was quite positive that she was not going to be anyone's mate, nor was she going to sit by and let her friends run her love life. Lucy's plan was simple, go in, explain to Natsu that she didn't feel the same way, tell him they could still be friends, and she'd leave on a mission that would take her a few weeks. In that time, Natsu would realize how stupid it was that he was in love with her and would eventually move on to find the girl of his dreams. She'd planned everything down to the last detail, a thousand ways to counter every argument he or anyone else could make, and a hundred escape strategies, just in case.

Lucy nodded as she drew closer to the guild, bracing herself for whatever was inside. As she reached the door, her nerve failed her, and she turned away from the guild. Maybe she'd just sit outside for a bit and read before going in. There wasn't really a rush or anything.

She opened her book again, finding her place again as she sat outside in the warm summer air, immersing herself in the book. To her horror and dismay, her eyes refused to stay glued to the pages, instead flickering to the guild every once in a while. She groaned, snapping the book shut as she threw it away from herself angrily. "Now if only L. Frank Baum wrote relationship advice. But then, life would be too simple, wouldn't it?" She muttered, burying her face into her hands.

There was a soft giggle. "You can say that again."

Lucy's head snapped up, and her eyes widened. "Wendy!"

Wendy smiled as she held out the book in her hands. "The Wizard of Oz? Is it any good?"

Lucy nodded as she took the book back, placing it on her bag. "It's a wonderful story Wendy, about a girl just trying to get home." She sighed, shaking her head. "I haven't read the end, so I don't know if she ever gets home, but I'll get there eventually."

Wendy paused for a minute before she sat down on the bench, eyeing Lucy. "Lucy, is something wrong? Can I help in some way?"

Lucy shook her head. "No Wendy. I've got it all figured out actually, I just have to stand up and go inside."

Wendy's eyes widened, and she glanced back at the guild. "Does this have something to do with Natsu?" She asked excitedly, and when Lucy flushed, her eyes went wide with excitement. "It does! Did he tell you? What did you say?"

Lucy frowned, eyeing the smallest dragonslayer. "What do you mean? Weren't you there?"

Wendy huffed slightly, shaking her head. "No. I was on a mission with Romeo, and only got back a few days ago. No one's talking though, so the entire thing's been very hush-hush." She gestured at the guild, sighing. "Everyone's been so wrapped up in keeping Natsu preoccupied, I can't even ask Mirajane what happened."

Lucy glanced back, frowning. "He's… What do you mean preoccupied?"

Wendy shrugged. "People keep challenging him for battles and contests, and when they finally get him going they don't let him stop until he passes out from exhaustion. So far Levy's the best, she can almost always get him to arm wrestle her. But when he thinks no one's watching, he gets the saddest expression in his eyes. Half the time I keep feeling like he's just putting on a show for everyone so they won't get worried."

Lucy sighed, and before she knew it, the whole story came tumbling out, from the arm wrestling match to her hurried exit after Natsu had kissed her. She even included her plan, explaining her reasonings as well, but Wendy just listened to the whole story, an expressionless mask on her face as Lucy spoke, and when Lucy finally finished, she waited for a minute before she spoke. "Lucy, how do you feel about Natsu?"

Lucy paused, frowning. "Natsu is… well, he's Natsu. Obnoxious, loud. Dependable to a fault."

Wendy shook her head. "No, what does he mean to you?"

Lucy blinked, thinking about it for a moment. "He's… I'm not really sure Wendy. He's too important to lose, I know that. He's my rock, and he's always there when I need him."

Wendy smiled. "Lucy, there's something you should know about dragonslayers." She flushed a bit, but kept her gaze even with Lucy's. "Dragonslayers are… picky when they fall in love. Mates do not come and go as easily as you'd think, nor are they obvious at first. Like Levy and Gajeel for example. He tormented her and her teammates, pinned her to a tree and left them to be found by the guild the next day. But after he was accepted by the guild, and he began to get to know her, he realized that she was what he had been looking for."

Lucy snorted, waving her hand in exasperation. "But Wendy, this is Natsu we're talking about. He's just a kid in an adult's body!"

Wendy shook her head. "I think he was like that at one point, but he's grown up quite a bit Lucy since you first arrived. Even if he hasn't, he's grown up enough to know you're what he's been searching for as well." She smiled sadly, glancing back at the guild. "Dragons and dragonslayers are extremely similar when they pick mates Lucy, they'll only pick one, and they mate with that person until the day they die. But if you reject him like that…" She shook her head, standing up. "Let's just say that nothing good will happen."

Lucy frowned as she glanced back at the guild. Wendy followed her gaze, smiling slightly as she indicated the book on top of Lucy's bag. "Lucy, do you know where home is?"

Lucy glanced at the small girl, an eyebrow raised. "My home's a couple blocks south of the guild on the riverfront."

Wendy giggled, shaking her head. "Not that home. My dragon, Grandeeney, used to say that home is where the heart is, and that I'll always be home when I have someone who cares for me just as much as I care for them, if not more." She turned around, looking up at the sky, and she inhaled deeply. "So I'll ask you again, do you know where home is?"

Lucy watched as Wendy trotted off, her pigtails swinging slightly as the girl ran, and Lucy pondered the girl's words. She glanced down at the book, frowning slightly. "Home… is where the heart is." She mused thoughtfully, then she stood up. "Bah. I'll have to thank Wendy later, but I don't think I'm that desperate for advice to take it from a 14 year-old." She muttered, stuffing the book into her bag as she walked up to the guild doors again.

Her gall failed her as she reached for the door, and she gulped as she reached for her keys. "Plue!" She called, and with a puff of smoke Plue appeared, waving happily up at her. She grinned as she knelt down, patting the dog on the head. "Plue, can you do me a favor?"

Plue nodded, saluting her, and she pointed to the doors. "Can you go in and check that no one's paying attention? I want to slip in unnoticed."

Plue nodded, and she opened the door a crack so that he could get in. After a minute he returned, giving her a thumbs up. Lucy breathed out a sigh of relief. "Alright then. Let's go."

Lucy wasn't sure what she'd expected when she entered the guild, but she was quite certain it wasn't this. The entire guild was brawling, chairs, tables, glasses, and liquids were being thrown everywhere in what looked like a giant tornado. She saw a flash of red in the mix, and sighed, knowing that if Erza was in the mix, the fight wasn't stopping any time soon. She'd probably had her piece of cake destroyed, Lucy could see the squashed remnants of a strawberry on a foot as Erza roared angrily.

Lucy sighed as she and Plue picked her way to the bar, where Mirajane was mysteriously absent for once. A quick peek over the counter revealed the white haired mage sprawled on the floor, a sizable lump swelling on her forehead as blood streamed down her face. With a sigh, her fingers brushed Loke's key, and he appeared next to her. "Morning Princess." He said, swooping down and kissing her hand. He glanced at the tornado, eyes wide. "Someone step in Erza's cake again?"

Lucy nodded. "Can you do me a favor Loke? I need to get Mirajane to the infirmary, but I'm not strong enough." She smiled at Loke, who started beaming. "I need a big, strapping young man to-"

"I'm on it Lucy!" Loke said, scooping up Mirajane eagerly. "Maybe when I get back we can go on a date~?"

Lucy rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but chuckle at the lion's antics. "Maybe. I'll think about it."

Loke bowed, and, with Mirajane in his arms, he ran up the steps. Lucy watched him go, guilt weighing on her stomach as she walked over to the request board, eyeing the jobs. Maybe she should take one and be done with it.

Lucy wasn't sure how, but several things all happened at once. As she reached up for a mission as a secretary, a sudden blast of heat shot past her, scorching the wall. She whipped around, eyes wide as Loke appeared on the second story, eyes wide in panic as he yelled something. But Lucy's eyes were fixed on the large oak table that was flipping through the air straight for her. She didn't even have time to scream as the table smashed into her head, and the world went dark.

* * *

Hey y'all!

I've been in a loop- I've been watching Wizard of Oz and reading almost every book ever written on this amazing world, and all of a sudden, I decided to write this. If you can't guess, Lucy's going to be our Dorothy Gale, running away from her problems instead of facing them. I'm rather curious- who do you think is going to be who in this story? It's going to be a mix of the book and the movie.

I'm also curious- how many of you read the title and thought, 'this going to be all about Gajeel and Levy'? Cuz when I titled this, I chuckled a little to myself. Just so you know.

Tell me what you think! Reviews, harsh and complimentary are always welcome- I'm trying to become a better writer, so it's always nice to inflate the old ego, but I've been thinking I'm the shit, and I know nothing. ^^' So don't feel bad about criticizing me. I'll try and get the next few chapters typed up and up on fanfic soon- the next chapter at least by Monday.

Have a kick-ass day!

-Kitkat


	2. What's Reality?

Chapter 2- What's Reality?

Lucy was never one for hangovers, and when she woke up, her head was a blurred jumble of images. She groaned, clutching her head as she sat up, squeezing her eyes shut against the bright sunlight flooding from the window. What had happened last night? All she remembered was the brawl, and Loke carrying Mirajane to the infirmary, and then her brain drew up blank.

A soft whimper at her side finally made her open her eyes, and she smiled at the small figure of Plue on her bed. "Hey Plue." She groaned, rubbing her eyes. "What are you doing still out of your gate?"

Plue shuffled around on the end of the bed, and Lucy stood up, rubbing her forehead. "Let's go get some water, alright?"

Plue jumped off the bed, padding softly as he led the way to the kitchen, and Lucy followed him slowly as she stretched. Her mind didn't register much until she had a glass in her hand, and she'd drained it nearly 5 times before she began to coherently notice things.

The first thing she noticed as odd was her outfit. Lucy knew she had thousands of items of clothing, but she didn't remember buying the outfit she had on. The dress was a blue and white checkerboard pattern that had straps, with a white, frilly high necked blouse underneath that. Her hair was already done up for the day, pulled into a pair of braided pigtails with bows on the end. She frowned, playing with the material. "I don't remember putting this on…" She muttered, rubbing her forehead. Maybe Loke knew what had happened, she barely recalled teasing him.

As her fingers reached for her side, she froze, eyes wide in panic as she noticed the second odd thing about that morning. Her keys were gone, and she panicked, dashing around her house. She couldn't have lost them- Plue was sitting on her counter, chewing on a lollipop idly as he watched her.

Finally, Lucy flopped onto her couch, trying to recall anything after the guild. She'd had her keys at the guild, maybe she'd left them there. Quickly, she pulled on a pair of socks and shoes, waving Plue over. "Plue, let's go! We've got to get to the guild!"

As she straightened up, Lucy eyed Plue, who was lazily tripping over his own feet as he went. With a sigh, she shook her head, wondering idly if he'd drunk any alcohol last night as she went to the door and opened it.

Lucy and Plue stood on the threshold for a long moment, and she glanced down at him. "Plue… You're seeing what I'm seeing, right?"

Plue nodded, and Lucy rubbed her eye viciously as she looked around the world before her, carefully stepping out into the open. "Plue, I don't think we're in Magnolia anymore." She whispered, and Plue nodded slowly as he followed after her.

The world outside was bright and colorful, with strange plants and flowers twisting in odd shapes and colors as they reached abnormal heights around misshapen buildings and homes. A large, gold brick path wound its way through the town square, and Lucy found it oddly reminiscent of something she couldn't place. Lucy walked to one of the flowers, touching it softly. It felt real enough, and as she smelled the flower, she discovered it smelled like chocolate. She frowned, turning back to Plue. "I don't even think we're in the same universe Plue!" She cried out, wringing her hands slightly. "Plue, let's just-" Her eyes widened as she rushed back to her house. "My house!"

Lucy surveyed the damage with a horrified expression, clapping her hands over her eyes. "I'm never going to get my deposit back!" She moaned, absolutely appalled. Her house looked like it had been torn in half, ripped right up from its foundations in some huge storm, and it looked like it had landed on the remnants of what had been a large podium.

Lucy groaned as she turned away from the damage. Only Natsu would have been able to cause this much destruction, and she couldn't help but feel like this had something to do with him. She shook her head, and her pigtails smacked into her face. This was definitely Natsu's fault. And when she found him, she was going to kill him and make him pay for this.

If she could figure out where she was first. She looked around the square, trying to find a signpost. The only sign in sight was further down the yellow road, labeled 'Now leaving Munchkinland'.

Lucy looked down at Plue. "Munckinland? I've never heard of it." She looked around, frowning. "Is it an amusement park? Looks too empty to be one though…"

Plue nodded his agreement as Lucy tried to find someone, but every house she came to was empty, and finally she found herself outside her house again. "Plue, I give up. There's no one here, and we have no idea how to get back home to Fairy Tail." She moaned, sitting down on the ground.

Plue looked incredibly depressed at this, and Lucy sighed, picking him up and setting him on her lap. "Aren't we the pair?" She muttered, patting his soft head.

"Well, I see you were right Mayor. She is quite pretty."

Lucy jumped to her feet, holding Plue in her arms as she took in the sudden appearance of the pair of people, and her eyes widened. "M-mother?"

Layla Heartfilia stood beside Master Makarov, the serene smile that Lucy always remembered on her face as she smoothed her dress. Lucy took a step forward, eyes watering as she took in her mother's appearance. She was wearing a large, bubblegum pink dress, a large silver crown on her head, a large silver wand in her hand. She chuckled slightly, waving her wand slightly. "I'm sorry my dear, you've mistaken me for another woman."

Lucy shook her head. "No, you… you have to be…" Her mind was becoming strangely fuzzy, like her head was being submerged in a tank of water, and she rubbed her eyes. "I could've sworn…"

Makarov shook his head. "This is Glinda, the Good Witch of the North, and a mother to us all. We called her here when you came crashing into our village square."

Glinda nodded. "I'm afraid, but I must ask this. Are you a good witch, or are you a bad witch?"

Lucy blinked, frowning. "Well, I'm not a witch at all, I'm a wizard!"

Makarov chuckled. "That's preposterous. We only have one wizard, and he's in the Emerald City."

Glinda moved forward, taking Lucy's hand and patting it. "Well, if you aren't a witch, then who is?" She glanced down at Plue, and, with a smile, she tapped his nose. "Is it you?"

Lucy smiled, shaking her head. "No, this is Plue. He's a Celestial."

Glinda frowned. "So, if he is not a witch, then who dropped the house on the Wicked Witch of the East?" She turned to Lucy's apartment, eyeing it thoughtfully. "I was told a new witch dropped it on her."

"What? I didn't drop my house on anyone!"

Glinda chuckled, moving forward. "Well, here's the house, and here you are, and here's the Wicked Witch." She said, pointing to the ground.

Lucy reeled backwards, clapping a hand to her mouth. Just as Glinda claimed, a pair of stockings peeked out from under the house, a pair of red glittery shoes on the feet. Lucy gasped, horrified. "I didn't mean to! Oh no, is there some way…?"

Glinda smiled down at the body, shaking her head. "There's nothing to do but call the coroner, Mayor."

The Mayor frowned, his moustache bristling slightly. "Well, he won't come out until we determine the threat here." He glanced back at Lucy, eyeing her. "Miss, please, just tell us if you're a good or bad witch."

Lucy frowned slightly. "Well, I'd guess I'm a good witch. But I'm not a wit-"

Glinda clapped her hands together. "Oh, thank goodness. This land has been plagued by too many bad witches, it's good to have another in our midst." She curtsied. "As the Mayor said before, I am Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. May I inquire for your name?"

Lucy curtsied as well, still holding Plue as she straightened up. "I'm Lucy of Fairy Tail."

Glinda turned around. "Do you hear that? She's friendly! You can come out now, my little Munchkins!"

Lucy jumped a foot as hundreds of people began to appear before her, practically popping out of the ground, each grinning happily as they thanked her. They were no bigger than children, the tallest Munchkin barely reaching her waist. Her mind was getting fuzzy; she felt like she knew each of them, like she'd met them in a dream a long time ago, but she couldn't place where. As she shook hands with a Munchkin with flaming red hair, she decided she'd figure out everything when she got away from this strange town.

She straightened up, trying to find Glinda in the crowd of midgets, and Glinda waved her over, smiling. "The coroner is about to finish up the certificate of death. And with that, Munchkinland will be under your protection."

The Munchkins cheered, and the coroner straightened up, signing the paper. "She's officially dead! May her kind never plague us again!"

Lucy felt herself being pulled and pushed towards the Mayor's house, who was beaming as he shook Lucy's hand. "Lucy of Fairy Tail, we of the Munchkinland are forever in your debt! Songs will be sung in your honor, tales told!" He waved a hand around the town, beaming. "Ask anything of us; we will give it to you!"

Lucy watched as he whistled, forcing her to sit in a large chair with a single movement, and Munchkins began rushing about, bringing forth flowers, jewelry, deeds to land, anything she'd ever want before she could even stand up. But Lucy shook her head, waving them each away. As the Munchkin's faces fell, Lucy sighed, shaking her head. "Thanks, but I don't want any of that. I just want-"

Not for the first time that day, Lucy found herself interrupted, but from all the Munchkins scattering, throwing themselves onto the ground and behind bushes, Lucy knew this interruption wasn't a good one.

The wind began to howl, whipping everywhere and Lucy felt her pigtails fly up with the sheer force of the wind, and she dashed forward, finding Glinda, who looked grim. "What's going on?"

Silently, Glinda raised a hand and pointed, and Lucy followed her gaze towards the heavens. High above, she could make out the figure of someone, and a chill ran down her spine as an evil sounding cackle filled the air. A tree split not five feet from them, and while Lucy jumped backwards in alarm, Glinda did not move, her eyes still fixed on the figure high above. She scowled. "It's the Wicked Witch of the West."

Lucy paled. "I thought you said I killed her!"

Glinda shook her head. "No, you killed that witch, but that witch was Meredy, Wicked Witch of the East. Her sister rules to the West, and has always been extremely protective of her little sister."

There was a shot like one from a cannon, and Lucy felt the world shake as thick grey smoke filled the air, practically suffocating her. Glinda waved a hand, frowning at the figure before her. "Have you had your fun yet, Urtear?"

Lucy had to stifle a gasp as Glinda's hand caused the smoke to disperse, revealing the figure before them. Tall and beautiful, she had skin of a lime, though only one eye was visible from under her dark black hair. She was dressed in a shimmering black dress that had was in desperate need of being repaired, and on any woman it would have almost looked horrible, but she pulled it off. A pointed hat sat on her head as her eye fixed on Glinda, and her beautiful face scowled. "Glinda, I figured you would be behind this." Lucy gulped as the woman moved forward, shaking the tail of a broom in Glinda's face. "You've meddled in Meredy's affairs for the last time."

Glinda did not back down, but met the woman's gaze evenly. "You hold no magic here anymore witch. Your sister has been defeated by one other than me."

Urtear howled, her grip on her broom tightening. "Who then? Since your sister to the South died, there's no one with such magic!"

Glinda pulled Lucy forward. "This child. She flattened your sister with her house, and as a witch not bound by the treaty, she can do as she wishes. She rules these lands now, and you have no power here." She gestured to the floor, and Lucy looked down, shock registering on her face as she saw a red, glittery pair of shoes on her feet that certainly hadn't been there before. "She has your sister's slippers, and your magic will not be able to take them."

Urtear's eye widened, and she hissed. "Blast." She stalked around the pair of blondes, eyeing them up and down. Lucy watched as she disappeared around Glinda's side, and when she turned her head to see where she'd gone, she found herself face to face with the witch.

She yelled in surprise as the Witch tried to grab her, but a large static shock erupted from Lucy's skin, causing Urtear to jump back. Urtear shot an evil look at Glinda. "You've protected her, for now. Soon she will be beyond your reach and help!" Her eye fixed on Lucy. "You test my patience child. Give me the shoes and I'll spare your life."

Glinda stepped forward. "She will do no such thing. You have no power here Urtear, leave before I take drastic measures."

Urtear swung her broom in an arc. "We shall see." She grinned evilly, eyes fixed on Lucy. "I'll get you my pretty. You and your little… snowman too!"

The wind roared, and Lucy watched in horror as the Wicked Witch shot into the sky, flying off in a streak of green and black. Glinda shook her head, the distaste evident on her face. "I wished you had not met her so soon, she's hard to stomach on a normal day." She mused, turning back to the town. "It's alright, she's gone now. As long as Lucy is in Oz, she will not be able to touch you." Her eyes flitted back to Lucy. "Now Lucy, I- No!"

Lucy was on her knees, trying to take the shoes off, but Glinda pulled her to her feet. "My dear, promise me you won't take those shoes off. I've cast an enchantment on them; so long as you wear them, the Witch and her minions cannot hurt you."

Lucy shook her head. "Look, I don't even want to get wrapped up in your politics here, I just want to get home. To my guild."

Glinda frowned. "Your… Your guild?"

Lucy nodded. "It's called Fairy Tail, and it's in Magnolia. If you could just point me in the right direction…"

Glinda's eyes widened, and she grinned. "I'm sorry my dear, but I can't help you."

Lucy's face fell, and she frowned. "What do you mean, you can't help me? If you can't help me, why are you smiling?"

The Mayor came forward. "Glinda is bound by the treaty with the Wicked Witch of the West- she won't be able to use that sort of magic without compromising her own safety."

Glinda waved him off. "That matters not my dear. There is one who can help you and is not bound by the treaty, he is the Great and Powerful Oz."

"Oz?"

The Munchkins began to clamor excitedly, and Glinda shot them a look, silencing them. "Yes, the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. He lives in the Emerald City, and he would be able to get you home, no matter where you come from. He'll help you. His magic knows no bounds."

Lucy sighed in relief. "How do I get there then?"

Glinda frowned. "Do you have a broom?" When Lucy shook her head, Glinda sighed. "Then you must walk. I would take you with my magic, but I barely have enough to get myself home as it is." She gestured to the road. "Follow the yellow brick road- the shoes will always lead you in the right direction, and your feet will never tire in them." She chuckled, shooting the house a look. "The Witch of the East was never fond of flying either, she preferred walking."

Lucy eyed the road before her. "Just… follow the road?"

Glinda nodded as she waved her wand. "Follow your heart, my dear Lucy, and it will not lead you wrong!" She said as a bubble enveloped her, and she began to float away.

Lucy balked. "Wait! What if the Witch tries to get me? I don't have my keys!"

Glinda waved, still smiling. "The shoes will know what to do!" She called, and a breeze swept her away into the distance.

Lucy frowned as she looked at the path before her. "Just follow the yellow brick road." She looked down at Plue, who was staring into the distance with her. "Sounds simple enough. What could possibly go wrong?"


	3. Scarecrow

Chapter 3- Scarecrow

"Apparently, everything." Lucy muttered as she walked down the path, Plue sitting happily in a basket someone had given her. Regardless of whatever Glinda had said, Lucy's feet were never more uncomfortable. True, she barely felt like she was walking, but this Witch of the East had worn the shoes down in some odd spots, and it was like breaking in a brand-new pair of shoes.

She sighed angrily, pulling at her shirt collar. It was unbearably hot, and this outfit was doing nothing for her to keep her cool. She was practically sizzling in the heat, and she wished she'd at least rummaged through her closet before she'd left.

Plue was happily eating another lollipop in her basket, and she sighed. He'd been no help so far in her journey, and he couldn't tell her where she'd left her keys, much to her disappointment. Glinda's protection was welcome, but Lucy felt naked without her keys. They were her constant companions; always there when she needed her, no matter what. Even Aquarius, even though she liked to pretend she wasn't that fond of Lucy and kept telling her to get a boyfriend.

Lucy looked up at the sun, frowning. Her brain was oddly fuzzy, and she was having trouble strangely remembering things. It was like someone had taken an giant eraser and rubbed it on certain parts of her memory. She could remember Fairy Tail and Magnolia, and but she couldn't remember her friend's faces any more, and it was slowly becoming worse. She couldn't even recall their names half the time; they were slipping away.

She sighed, closing her eyes as she began to recite their names again. She'd started to keep recalling them all, just to kill time as she walked alone towards this strange Emerald City.

Emerald City. She grinned, despite her situation. From what she'd heard from the Munchkins, it was beautiful, a large, green city nestled at the base of some mountains so the Wizard could live there, protected, from the Wicked Witch of the West. The Wizard, who, with any luck, would send her home before she knew it.

Plue tugged on her dress, asking for another lollipop, and Lucy sighed, pulling one from her pocket. She was sure something was wrong with Plue, but she couldn't place what exactly. He looked just like normal, but she'd been summoning him too long to wave it off as his normal behavior.

She looked up, and, to her horror, she noticed she was in the middle of a crossroads. Lucy whirled around, trying to find a sign post, but apparently Oz was a land without sign posts. Or directions.

Lucy moaned as she looked around. "Plue, do you have any idea which way to go?"

Plue looked at her apologetically, and she set the basket down. "Alright shoes, do your magic." She said, a little loudly, and she waited.

And waited.

There was a snort. "If you want to know which way to go, why don't you ask?"

Lucy looked up, flushing slightly. "I'm sorry, I didn't-" She frowned, turning in circles. There was no one around, it was just her and Plue. She looked down at her basket, frowning. "Plue, did you just say something?"

Plue shook his head, and Lucy looked around. "Where are you?" She called behind her, trying to find this mysterious person. Maybe it was a Munchkin who followed her. The voice was familiar enough. When there was no response, she sighed. "Do you know the way to the Emerald City?"

"Emerald City? Well, most people go down that path." Lucy turned towards the voice, but there was still no one there. Just a raggedy old scarecrow hanging on his perch in a field of wilted corn, but one of his arms was pointing to the path down the right, much to her relief.

Until she saw what was further down that path; possibly the darkest and scariest forest she'd ever seen. Lucy gulped. "Is there another way?"

"Well, some people go down that way. But that way is pretty long."

Lucy looked up just in time to see the scarecrow's arm move to point in the opposite direction, and her eyes widened. "Plue! Did you see that?" She asked the small dog, who shook his head, still munching on a lollipop. She shook her head. "Must've been the heat… The heat and my imagination."

"Then again, sometimes people go both ways." The scarecrow said with a grin, pointing in both directions. "And some just turn back."

Lucy gaped. "You… You can talk! And move!"

The scarecrow rolled his eyes. "Of course I can. So can you."

Lucy frowned. "What are you doing up there?"

The scarecrow sighed. "I'm stuck. Some people put me up to protect their corn, but it's a pretty dull and boring life."

Lucy nodded. "I don't envy you really." She snapped her fingers. "How about I get you down? You did tell me the way to Emerald City."

The scarecrow looked immensely relieved. "Thank goodness. I've been up here so long, I was worried I'd never feel my feet again. Just wiggle the nail back there, I should just slip right- OFF!"

Lucy winced as the scarecrow landed on the ground with a thump, and she helped him up. "Are you ok?" Her eyes widened as she noticed a large pile of straw on the ground.

The scarecrow nodded, picking up the straw. "Fine, just fine." He said, grinning. "Just stuff it back in, and I'm all better!" He said, heading back to the road. He tripped over the fence, and Lucy had to stifle a cry of laughter by shoving her hand into her mouth. Instantly, the scarecrow was on his feet, picking up the straw that had fallen out again, but he was watching Lucy with a hopeful expression. "Did I scare you just now? Did I? Tell the truth!"

Lucy bit her lip, shaking her head as she helped him gather up the straw. "Sorry, I was just…" She burst into giggles. "You are absolutely ridiculous! How did you get anywhere without losing straw?"

The scarecrow's grin fell, and he sighed. "I don't. I'm constantly picking up after myself. But I was hoping you'd be a little scared."

Lucy helped him to his feet. "Why's that? I could never be scared of you."

The scarecrow hung his head dejectedly. "That's the problem! Look there." He pointed to the field of wilted corn, and a row of crows watching them curiously while they sat perched on the fence. "Every one of those stalks should be tall and green, but those crows are hell bent on ruining them." He waved his arms, charging the crows. "Shoo!"

One crow nudged the other, and the pair started cawing loudly, while another rolled his eyes and began preening himself. Lucy bit her lip as the scarecrow's shoulders fell, and he sighed. "I've got to be just about the worst scarecrow ever."

Lucy patted his shoulder. "Isn't there another way to scare them?"

The scarecrow shrugged. "I can't think of another way." He chuckled darkly. "But then again, when you have a head of straw, there's no real room for thoughts."

Lucy frowned, confusion written across her face. "What do you mean?"

The scarecrow shrugged. "I haven't got a brain. It's just straw in there." He whipped off his hat, revealing a mass of pink hair as he tapped his head, and there was only the sound of hay being crumpled as he hit it.

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "How odd. If you don't have a brain, how can you talk?"

The scarecrow outright laughed at this. "A lot of people do an awful lot of talking without brains."

Lucy chuckled. "I suppose you're right."

"But if I had a brain, I'd figure out a way to scare all the crows! And I'd be able to just think sometimes. It gets boring when you can't do anything but wonder if you're ever going to get off that stupid post."

Lucy's eyes widened. "How long were you up there?"

"A couple weeks. I lost count. I spent each day counting ears of corn. Pretty dull, and I'd lose my spot every so often." The scarecrow grinned, jumping up and clicking his heels together before falling in a heap. "But now I can go do anything I want!"

Lucy grinned as she helped him to his feet again. "How about you come with me then? I'm off to the Emerald City to see the Wizard. Hopefully he can send me home to Fairy Tail, and maybe he'll give you a brain!"

The scarecrow's eyes lit up. "You've got to be kidding me. He could give me a brain?"

Lucy shrugged. "Glinda said he could do just about anything. And would you rather come with me, or risk having someone put you on the post again? If you do though, I have to warn you. I've got a mean, nasty witch chasing after me."

The scarecrow grinned. "Sure I'll come. I'm not afraid of any old witch. I'm not scared of anything!" He paused, then motioned Lucy closer. "Well, there's one thing. I'm afraid of fire." He whispered, eyes darting around like he expected someone to be listening.

For some reason, Lucy found this absolutely ridiculous, and she burst into giggles. The scarecrow flushed, looking down. "You try to be made of straw and not afraid. One spark, and whoosh! I'm up in smoke!"

Lucy shook her head, wiping away tears of mirth away hurriedly. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't laugh, but there's just something I find absurd about that." She straightened up. "Well, don't worry. If you get set on fire, I'll make sure to put you out."

"You promise?"

Lucy smiled as she held out her hand. "I promise." She and the scarecrow shook, and she paused. "I don't think we've been properly introduced. My name's Lucy, and this is Plue." She said, gesturing to the snowman-like dog, and the scarecrow knelt down.

"Plue? What kind of name is that?" He muttered, patting Plue on the head before he rose up. "I'm… well… it's been a while since I told anyone my name." He frowned. "I'm… Oh yeah! My name's Natsu! Natsu the Scarecrow!"

Lucy grinned. "Alright then Natsu. Shall we go?" She asked, and Natsu nodded.

"Let's!"

He broke into a sprint, and Lucy scooped up Plue's basket as she ran after him. "Wait for me! Emerald City isn't going anywhere!"

Natsu was beside himself with glee. "I'm off to see the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz!" He hollered, and Lucy couldn't help but laugh as she rushed after him, her sparkly red heels clicking away down the yellow brick road.

* * *

Hey all! Thanks Senbei x Cup Ramen for your review- yes, I'm just terrible for doing that to Natsu, but it'll all work out in the end for him. As for the real world, they'll have their chapter eventually, and all will be revealed then. :D

So, Natsu the Scarecrow! :3 I enjoyed this immensely- a firebreather who's afraid of fire. Bet you can guess who's next in Lucy's quest for the Wizard, I'll try to get the next chapter up soon! I'm already on the 5th chapter, just got to double check and edit the fourth for you all.

Feel free to leave a comment and a review! They're greatly appreciated! :D AND Have an awesome weekend- where I live we just got dumped with a ton of snow overnight and I got a snow day! Whoot Whoot!


	4. Iron Man

Chapter 4- Iron Man

Natsu was possibly the most incorrigible person Lucy had ever met, and she'd met a bunch of Munchkins. He was the happiest person in the world, despite doubling back every once in a while to gather up some body part that had fallen off. Nothing could ever dim his spirits, he was the energy and happiness incarnate, and Lucy found that, rather than annoying her, she found it rather enjoyable.

That is, when he wasn't dashing ahead at the speed of a cheetah.

Lucy sighed as Natsu ran ahead over the hill, and she sighed, sitting down for a minute. The shoes had finally been broken in for her feet, and they were insanely comfortable, but just because her legs didn't get tired any more meant nothing for the rest of her body. She doubted she'd ever run so much in one day, and her lungs were hating her for it. Her chest was uncomfortably tight, and she leaned back against a tree.

It was quiet in the forest, and Lucy sighed as she looked up at the treetops, smiling at the birds who sung in the tree tops. It was so peaceful here; she could barely even hear Natsu anymore. He'd coming rushing back when he realized she was missing, usually some teasing remark about her being slow ready on his lips; though it was always funny when he started to make the remark, only to forget it halfway through.

She giggled. He was such an idiot.

Lucy stood up, dusting off her skirt. She might as well as try to catch up to him before he noticed. She began to walk down the path again when she noticed Plue was no longer in the basket. "Plue?" She called, frowning as she began her search. Had he fallen out somewhere? She began to panic. If a wolf or something had gotten him, she'd never forgive herself.

She began her search of the immediate area, and soon she found herself searching the woods, going in further and further. Lucy found herself growing more and more exasperated as she called for the dog, but it was like he'd dropped off the face of the planet. Angrily, she kicked out at the ground, desperate to find the small creature.

Her foot connected with, not the soft earth like she'd expected, but something hard that made her feel like she'd broken her entire foot. Lucy cried out as she began hopping around on one leg, holding her foot, and she glared evilly at whatever she'd smacked her foot against.

Only it glared right back at her.

Lucy was still screaming bloody murder when Natsu came crashing through the underbrush, Plue riding on top of his head as he rushed about, only adding to the chaos as he tripped over a root and sent straw everywhere. "What is it Luce? Is it the witch?"

Lucy shook her head, pointing to the object as her screams finally died out. "That!" She croaked, and Natsu looked up, yelling out his own oath.

Neither of them spoke for a long moment, and finally Natsu moved forward eyeing the creature. "Why hasn't he moved?"

Lucy stood up, rolling her eyes. "Because he's a statue you moron."

"Oh." Natsu paused, glancing back at her. "Why were you screaming at a statue?"

Lucy glared at him. "I wasn't screaming. It just scared me a bit, is all."

Natsu snorted. "Yeah, they move a bit too fast for my taste. You never know when one will sneak up on you."

Lucy punched his arm, glaring at him. "Shut up." She glanced at the statue, eyeing it. "I wonder why this is all the way out here?"

Natsu shrugged. "It's kinda ugly. Maybe the creator made it and hid it out here so no one would see it." He said, and he tapped the statue on the forehead, causing it to creak.

Lucy shot him a look. "It's not ugly, just… intimidating." She said, turning back to the statue.

Intimidating was a bit of an understatement. Lucy had seen friendlier looking spiders, she was fairly sure of it. The statue looked like it was made of some kind of metal, a metal that had been exposed to the elements much too long. There was barely any metal showing, a thick layer of rust covering it. The only thing that wasn't red was the statue's spiky hair, coated in some kind of paint to make it look black. The face sneered at them, piercings studding the face, and Lucy leaned in, brushing some rust off the face. He could've been handsome if he didn't look so angry.

The second her hand brushed across the statue's face, the eyes moved, fixing on her. Lucy jumped back with a yelp, and Natsu eyed her. "Come on Luce. It's a statue."

Lucy shook her head. "It just looked at me! I swear it did Natsu!"

Natsu snorted. "Bull shit."

Lucy shot him a glare, pulling him forward. "I don't think it's a statue at all! Maybe… Maybe it's a man of tin, or iron!"

Natsu opened his mouth, but the statue creaked, making him jump backward. Lucy smirked. "See, I told you! It, I mean, he moved!" She frowned. "How do we get him unstuck?"

Natsu glared at her. "What do you mean, unstick him? We don't even know him!"

Lucy shot him a look. "We can't just leave him here. Who knows when someone will find him next, and if he'll even be able to signal that he's not a statue. We may be the first people who haven't run away the second they saw him."

There was another squeak, and Lucy smirked triumphantly. "See? What kind of people would we be if we left him here?"

Natsu grumbled. "Fine." He muttered sourly. "But if he's a complete bastard, I blame you."

Lucy was already on her hands and knees, searching the brush around them. "Do you think he has some sort of oil around here? Maybe we can loosen his jaw so he can talk."

Natsu snorted. "I don't know much, but he's pretty rusted. At this point, adding oil is just going to make it worse."

There was a creak, and Lucy sighed. "Fine. Then what do we do?"

Natsu moved for her basket, picking it up. "Earlier, you said you got food from the Munchkins?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes I did Natsu, but this isn't the time for that."

Natsu rummaged for a second, then pulled out a container of salt and a couple of limes. Lucy snorted. "What are we going to do? Make margaritas?"

Natsu shot her a look. "I know this gets rid of rust." He muttered, rubbing the salt on the man's jaw joint, squeezing the lime. He did the same to the other side, then sat down. "We have to wait a bit, but it should work."

Lucy blinked. "You're sure this will work?"

Natsu shrugged. "I heard about it from a drunk Munchkin. Her name was Cana, and she said it worked for getting rid of rust, as well as for margaritas."

"Really? Because you completely trust what a drunk Munchkin tells you?"

Lucy looked up, her brown eyes widening. "It worked!"

There was a small squeak, but the man grinned. "Sounds like it did."

Lucy took the lime and salt, putting it on the joints. Natsu frowned, remaining unmoving. "How'd you get like this? I've never seen a man made out of tin before."

The man grimaced. "Iron. I'm made out of iron."

"And rust." Lucy grumbled as she worked. "But I am curious. How on earth did you get like this?"

The man frowned. "I was a woodcutter. I worked hard, made quite a bit of money doing what I do. But one day I came across a tree, which turned into a woman."

"A nymph?"

The man snorted. "Whatever. I tried to kill it. So she cursed me to be like this, until I find someone to love me."

Lucy smiled as she worked on his legs. "Shouldn't be too hard."

He snorted. "Easy for you to say. I'm heartless."

Natsu frowned. "Heartless? As in you don't care?" He paused, then smirked. "I can't see it." He said, and Lucy bit her lip to keep the smile from appearing on her face at the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

The man frowned. "No. I don't have a heart." With a loud creak, he smacked his chest, and Lucy's eyes widened at the hollow sound.

"That's terrible!" She frowned as she stood up, letting the lime soak into the Iron Man's ankles. She smiled, taking his hand. "Come with us! We're off to see the Wizard of Oz! Maybe he might be able to break the curse, or even give you a heart!" She gestured to Natsu. "He's going to get a brain, and I'm going to ask for a way home!"

The Iron Man grinned. "Of course- he would need a brain." He nodded to Lucy, sticking out his hand. "But I can't leave a little lady like yourself with the likes of him. And anything beats standing alone in this forest."

Lucy clasped his hands. "Great! Now if only we avoid the Wicked Witch, we'll be just fine!"

He began to lead the way back to the path, creaking and clanking loudly. "I ain't scared of no witch. I can totally take her on, one hand behind my back." He said proudly, only pausing to pick up a large axe and sling it over his shoulder.

Lucy chuckled, scooping up Plue as she walked away. "I'm really glad that this guy walked away. I wonder where you went…" She said, stroking the dog's head.

"He was with me. He said he was tired of riding in that basket." Natsu muttered, walking behind them, his hands shoved in his pockets.

Lucy hugged Plue tightly, smiling warmly back at Natsu. "Oh! Then I shouldn't have worried. Normally he's always getting into all sorts of trouble!"

Natsu flushed slightly, looking down. "I should've said something. Didn't think."

The Iron Man grinned. "I'm guessing you don't think very often, do you, straw-brain?"

"At least I'm not a stupid metalhead!" Natsu muttered in response, and Iron Man glared at him.

"At least I have a brain!"

Lucy chuckled. "You did forget your name Natsu. You can't get passed that level of stupidity."

The Iron Man laughed outright at that. "You forgot your name? At least I'll never be that daft!"

"Then really? What's your name then?" Natsu shot back, and Lucy sighed as she took lead, idly wondering if she was ever going to get a moment of peace with the pair around.

"Gajeel. And I guess your Natsu, cuz blondie here called you that, and I doubt you still remember your own name." Gajeel retorted angrily, and Lucy smiled, shaking her head.

"And I'm Lucy, and this is Plue."

"And I'm Wicked!" A cackle erupted around them, and Lucy jumped backwards at the sight of the green witch standing on the road. "My my. I see you've met some friends my pet!" She hissed, eyeing Gajeel and Natsu. She peered interestedly at the pair, who were both shaking. Lucy could tell, she could hear Gajeel creaking as he shook, and the rustle of Natsu's straw.

Setting Plue down, Lucy stepped forward, praying that her fear of the witch wasn't evident on her face. "What do you want?"

It surprised Lucy how confident her voice was, but the witch leered. "The shoes Lucy- I want the shoes." She practically purred, eyeing the ruby slippers. "They belong to me, we both know it."

Lucy shook her head. "Glinda told me not to take them off, and I won't. Not in a thousand years."

The witch grinned evilly, shaking her broom at Lucy's face. "How about if I torture your friends then? I may not be able to hurt you, but I can certainly hurt them." She shot a glance behind Lucy. "How about you, Scarecrow? You look a little cold- how about I warm you up, hmm?"

"Y-y-y-you don't scare me!" Natsu said, his voice a couple octaves higher than normal.

The witch's eye flashed to Gajeel. "How about you then? Maybe a little water to help those joints stick again?"

Gajeel tightened his grip on his axe. "L-l-lucy will just fix me again, isn't that right Lucy?" He asked, staring at her hopefully.

Lucy nodded. "Of course I will." She stood in front of them, glowering. "I won't let you hurt them."

The Witch cackled. "We shall see." She spat, laughing as the spit connected with Natsu's leg and he yelled, panic in his eyes as his leg caught fire, and Lucy gasped as she upended her canteen of water on him. She could already see quite a bit of damage done to the straw- she wasn't sure he'd have enough straw to walk on anymore.

"No one can help you now!" The witch yelled, raising up her hand, and Lucy flinched as she shielded the pair as best she could, shutting her eyes.

She caught the faintest whiff of chocolate and butterscotch, and Lucy looked up as the sky above them began to darken, rumbling ominously. The witch's one visible eye widened, and she hissed. "You win this time girl." She muttered, anger flashing in the eye. "Soon, Glinda won't be able to protect you, and I'll have you! You and your little friends!" She hissed, and with a bang, she disappeared in a cloud of green smoke that smelled suspiciously like sulfur.

Lucy felt a drop of water hit her nose, and Gajeel hissed. "We need to get further into the forest- the trees are thicker and won't let the rain through so easily." He shifted slightly, frowning up at the sky. "I finally get my body moving again, only to be caught in the rain again."

Lucy nodded, picking up Plue as she handed him to the metal man. "Carry Plue for me- I'll help Natsu. Don't let you or Plue get wet, he looks weird when he gets wet. Let's hurry."

Natsu waved her off. "I'll be fine. It's just a little burn."

Lucy helped him to his feet. "Doesn't mean it doesn't hurt. Let's get to cover, and I'll look at it then." She said, looping his arm around her shoulders.

Their going was slow at first, and the rain made it miserable for Lucy, but whatever she felt, Gajeel had it worse. He was panicking at every drop of water that hit him as he rushed deeper into the woods. Lucy dutifully helped Natsu all the way, helping hop along, despite the scarecrow's protests. It was still a relief when the woods provided enough cover for them all, and Lucy helped him sit down on a stump before she began inspecting him leg.

"You really don't need to do this." Natsu muttered for the five-thousandth time, and Lucy sighed, shaking her head.

"What are friends for?" She asked quietly, moving aside the fabric that was his pants, and Natsu looked away.

"Yeah. Friends."

Gajeel stood at her shoulder. "I don't know much about straw anatomy, but it looks like that leg's seen better days."

Lucy shot him a look, but she had to agree with the metal man. Natsu's leg was damaged beyond her abilities to repair. The witch's fire had burned a large hole in Natsu's pants, one that she suspected had been dropping straw from since they'd fled deeper into the woods. She glanced backwards, eyeing the path behind them, and she got all the confirmation she need.

Lucy frowned, looking at the leg, and Natsu gulped. "That bad, huh?" He looked down at his hands, eyes sorrowful. "Guess that means you'll have to leave me here. I can't go any further on this leg. Guess I'll… never get a brain."

Lucy snorted. "Shut up. I'm not leaving you here." She paused, eyes pondering. After a minute, she looked up. "Gajeel, I need you to go find pine needles, or some kind of brush. I'm going to try and patch this as best I can, but we're going to need some sort of stuffing."

Gajeel nodded, taking Plue, and Natsu looked sheepish. "Lucy… You don't have to-"

Lucy smiled, cutting him off. "Shut up you goof. I told you I'd help you if you caught on fire." She sighed. "I just wish I could have stopped her."

Natsu frowned. "Don't do that to yourself. She's the only one at fault here." He paused, expression darkening slightly. "I wonder why she left like that. She had us pinned Luce, why flee like that?"

Lucy frowned slightly, looking up at the canopy above their heads. "I don't know Natsu. But it won't be the last we'll see of her, that's for sure."

Natsu nodded, gently laying one of his hands on top of hers. "Don't worry Luce. I'll be right here with you, all the way to the Emerald City." He smiled assuringly. "Maybe next time, I'll get to protect you, instead of the other way around."

Lucy chuckled as she heard Gajeel's footsteps clomping back towards them and gave Natsu's hand a squeeze. "I'd like that." She said softly, reaching for her bag for needle and thread as she bent over Natsu's leg again.

* * *

Hey ya'll!

Haha- funny story. I thought I posted this AGES ago before Spring Break, so for waiting patiently, you're getting two chapters today. :3

Introducing Gajeel as the Tin Man, or better known as the Iron Man. And yes. The thing with lime juice and salt, it actually works. I'm not shitting you. I was talking with a friend about my bike rusting, and she suggested it.

Limes and Salt. Not just for margaritas. :D

OMG. Epic fail there. I totally meant Urtear in the last few chapters- Gray's amazing teacher is not chasing Lucy around OZ. D: Thank you for pointing that out- I'm going to go fix the last few chapters.

Ciao!


	5. Cowardly Lion

Chapter 5- Cowardly Lion

Lucy couldn't help but feel proud of herself as she finally straightened up, eyeing her handiwork. Natsu's leg was stitched together again, his leg stuffed full of odd brush that Gajeel and Plue had been able to scavenge, a piece of her dress covering the hole in his pants so that no more stuffing would fall out. She glanced at Gajeel. "What do you think?"

Gajeel frowned. "I still think I should've done it. Looks pretty b-" He caught himself just in time as he saw Lucy's smile fall.

Natsu kicked him with his other leg. "Shut up metal-brain." He turned back to Lucy. "It looks awesome Lucy."

Lucy sighed as she stuffed her sewing supplies away, standing up. "Look, it's just got to make it to the Emerald City. There's got to be a good seamstress there somewhere." She said a little testily as she helped Natsu to his feet.

The Iron Man snorted. "Well, he's not going to be able to run from the creatures here. They'll tear him to shreds in minutes."

Lucy's eyes widened as Natsu began to get a feel for his new leg, stomping around in circles. "Creatures?" She gulped. "What kind of creatures?"

Gajeel shrugged as he led the way down the path, giving off an air of apathy, but she caught a glint of worry in his eyes. "You know, the usual. Lions. Tigers. Bears."

Lucy scooped up Plue, holding him tightly. "Lions, tigers, and bears?" She shook her head as she looked into the dark forest around her. "Oh my!"

Gajeel nodded. "Lions, tigers, and bears. They all travel in packs around here, so if there's one, there's bound to be more around. If we even see one, we should all run for it." He grinned. "Why do you think I brought my axe? Makes it real easy to chase away anyone of those foul beasts."

Natsu snorted. "I'd never run for it. I'm not scared of few cats and their teddy bears." He grinned. "I'll take a whole group of them on; just let them try and get us!"

Lucy rolled her eyes as Gajeel retorted back, and she patted Plue's head gently as the little dog tried to climb out of the basket. There was no way she was going to let the small dog walk in these woods, he would be easy pickings for anything out there.

She could feel eyes watching her, and Lucy moved closer to the two men walking ahead of her. Gajeel glanced back. "You ok?"

Lucy shook her head. "Something… Something's out there."

Gajeel grinned, hefting his axe onto his shoulder. "Don't worry Lucy. I'll scare anything off." He eyed Lucy thoughtfully. "I don't think you'd be able to frighten a bug, let alone a lion. You've got about the power and threatening aura of a bunny." His grin went even wider. "Maybe I should call you Bunny Girl."

Natsu snorted. "Well, Lucy's got other talents."

Gajeel's metal eyebrows wiggled. "Oh? And these talents… How would you know about them?"

Lucy looked away, a little pink. "It's not like that metal-brain!" Natsu said, his tone a little too flustered to be completely convincing. "Anyway, as long as I'm here, Lucy won't have to worry. I'll protect her."

"Against a horde of lions? You could barely manage a little old witch."

"I didn't see you acting so manly there Iron Man. Don't worry, I'll take on any critter we take on, with my bare hands!"

Lucy rolled her eyes as the pair went at it again, but as she opened her mouth to stop their bickering, her eyes caught a movement in the forest, and she froze, brown eyes widening.

"Oh yeah? I'll take on a ton of tigers by myself, make a coat."

"Then I'll just have to wrestle a load of lions with one arm behind my back, make a nice collar to remind you how much better I am at everything!"

"Guys…?" Lucy began, her grip on the basket tightening, but Gajeel's retort cut across her sentence.

"Bah! You couldn't even if you tried flame-tard. I'll murder a den of bears, just to see how fast the creatures here will run from my wrath!" He swung his axe lazily at Natsu, who ducked it easily.

"And I'll kill the ones who get you. Just to make sure your death isn't in vain."

"Guys!" Lucy yelled, shooting a glance in their direction.

Both of her companions stopped, taking stock in how far they'd walked away from her. "What?"

She pointed to the bushes, where she could see a long yellow tail waving slowly. "There's… There's something-"

A roar cut her off, and she saw a flash of yellow leap at the pair. With one paw, it batted away the axe in Gajeel's hand, sending it scittering down the road towards Lucy. She gasped as the lion roared again, standing on its hind legs. She couldn't see the face, but from the large mane that covered it's face, she knew it was male, and definitely angry. Even though it was on the small side, Lucy could tell from the vicious looking claws and teeth this was not a beast to mess with.

It growled menacingly as Gajeel and Natsu tumbled back, swiping at them. "Put 'em up!" It roared, and Lucy gulped at the sharp canines in the lion's mouth. "I'll take you both on- I'll have your guts for garters, livers for lunch!"

Powerful claws swung at them as Nastu nudged Gajeel, trying to hide behind the other man. "G-g-g-go get him Gajeel!"

Gajeel's body was clanking loudly from his shaking as he tried the same with Natsu. "T-t-thought you were going to take on all the creatures here!"

Lucy stood there, in shock as she watched the lion prowl, and Plue, sensing her panic, jumped out of the basket and rushed the lion, beating his little fists against a large paw.

The lion grabbed Plue by the scruff of the neck, bringing him to eye level, and it roared at the dog. "Then I'll eat you for tea, pipsqueak!"

Plue didn't seemed all that perturbed by the sudden change of events, but Lucy felt her blood boil. "Let go of him you creep!" She yelled, dropping her basket as she rushed forward, scooping up a rock. She threw it, grinning slightly as it connected with the lion, making it drop Plue, and she grabbed Gajeel's axe. "Pick on someone your own-"

The words died in Lucy's mouth the second she said them as the lion's 'mane' toppled backwards, revealing the face of the smallest girl Lucy had ever seen. She was absolutely cute as a button, small golden ears with black tufts on the ends that had a small white bow clipped to the ends that peeked out of jet black hair. But what stopped Lucy from swinging the axe wasn't her cuteness- no, it was the fact that the girl had two identical trails of tears running down her face as she bawled out loud.

Instantly, Lucy's hand dropped the axe, and she and her companions stared at the lioness on the ground with their mouths open as she wept. "I'm real sorry! I just wanted to scare you a little bit, I wasn't gonna hurt you, honest!"

Gajeel blinked slowly before he turned back to the other two. "It's a little lion." He said dumbly, and Lucy nodded slowly.

"I think we scared it."

Natsu snorted, still refusing to move from behind Gajeel. "We scared it? I think we can say that it scared us first."

Gajeel nodded. "Should we kill it?"

Lucy's jaw hit the ground, and the lion started howling. Lucy shot him a glare. "Gajeel, you're just scaring it more. She's crying worse than ever."

"I'll give you something real to cry about." Gajeel muttered as he picked up his axe, but Lucy ignored him.

"There there now. I won't let him hurt you."

"But we should whack her around for scaring us- OW!" Natsu hopped off, rubbing his patched up leg where Lucy had kicked him, and the lion stared at him with wide eyes.

"You…. You guys are the bullies here! Talking about killing innocent creatures and wearing their carcasses!" She sniffed, dabbing her eyes with her tail, but the tears just kept coming. "What's a girl to do? I couldn't let you get my pride!"

Lucy nodded, patting the girl's paw. "I'm sorry. We really had no intention of going and hunting your family." Gajeel coughed, and Lucy rolled her eyes. "Alright, some of us may have had thoughts, but we weren't going to actually do it. We were just hoping to make it out of these woods without incident."

The girl shook her head. "You might be able to. My pride doesn't come to these parts of the woods around this time of the day." She got up shakily to her feet. "C-could you tell them I scared you bad?" She asked hopefully, looking fixedly at the ground. "If you run into them, that is. J-just tell them there was about 50 more people in your group, but I killed them all and let you three escape out of the kindness of my heart so you could warn people about me?"

Lucy couldn't help but shake her head. "Now, why on earth would we do such a thing? Why don't you just tell them yourself?"

The girl's eyes began to water, and she began to cry again. "They won't believe me!" She took her tail and blew her nose into it. "They told me I'm not fierce enough to be a real lion, I'm just a coward. S'not my fault I get scared or startled easily. But they said I can't come back till I get some courage, and I thought that maybe, if I scared you enough, that it would count."

Lucy smiled slightly as she fished in her pockets for a handkerchief and pressed it into the lion's paw. "There, there. You've got plenty of courage. Just look how you jumped from those bushes."

The lioness buried her face into the checker patterened hankie. "I got scared by a dragonfly!" She wailed, and Lucy barely hid a wince.

"Then come with us to see the Wizard. He's bound to have some extra courage around, he could definitely spare some for you."

The looks on Gajeel and Natsu's faces said that they thought this was a terrible idea, but the lioness looked up, tears still dripping silently down her face as she sniffed slightly, but there was a hopeful look in her eyes. "Really? You think so?"

Lucy nodded. "I couldn't leave you here alone in this scary forest by yourself. Who knows. Maybe you'll find courage on your way to meet the Wizard."

The girl nodded, blowing her nose as she handed the handkerchief back. "Thank you. You're very kind. My name's Wendy."

Lucy stuffed the tissue back in her pocket unceremoniously. "I'm Lucy, and this little morsel is Plue." She said, scooping up the dog and putting him back in the basket. "Those Neanderthals are Natsu and Gajeel. They're both going to see the Wizard as well- Natsu wants a brain, and Gajeel needs a heart to break a curse."

Wendy grinned as they began on their way again, Natsu and Gajeel huffing slightly as they trailed behind the pair of girls. "And you? What about you?"

Lucy's smile dimmed slightly. "I just want to go home to Fairy Tail. There's something I have to do when I get there, even if I don't remember what exactly."

Lucy could see the question forming in Wendy's mind about why it was so necessary to return to Fairy Tail, and she was never more relieved when Gajeel's arm tugged her backwards slightly. "Oi, Bunny Girl. Natsu's leg is acting up again. Help him along for a bit, alright?"

Lucy nodded as she fell into step along side Natsu, watching the lion and the iron man talk in front of her, or more the iron man talk with that intimidating air he always had and the lion beginning to cower in fear.

Natsu was watching the pair as well, but Lucy could see the wariness in his onyx orbs. "Something wrong Natsu?"

Natsu shook his head, but when Lucy gave him the look that told him she wasn't buying it, he sighed. "Look, are you sure this is wise? We barely know this girl."

Lucy smiled slightly. "I'm sure. I've never met her, but I think I knew someone like her, a long time ago." Without thinking, she gently reached out and took his hand, squeezing it gently. "Trust me."

Natsu squeezed back. "Alright then."

Lucy left her hand in Natsu's, just marveling slightly in how a single touch made her feel a thousand times safer than Gajeel's axe or these mysterious keys she kept recalling. It felt right, walking along, her hand in Natsu's, but a pang of guilt washed over her as she thought about Fairy Tail. Someone was waiting for her there- she couldn't just leave them.

She was about to pull her hand away when Natsu's hand tightened around her own slightly and she looked up and met his gaze. Lucy couldn't help it- she could see the longing in those onyx orbs, and she decided against letting go of the hand of the man next to her, despite her brain ranting about this being a bad idea.

She decided to give into an indulgence, just this once. Even if she paid dearly for it later.

* * *

Little bit of NaLu thrown in for your enjoyment, all while making Wendy an adorable cowardly lion. I was really pissed with this chapter, just for the sole reason that I had the entire thing typed up and my computer went on the fritz and deleted it all. Which was mostly my fault for not saving it earlier.

Anyways- I have the next chapter almost completely written, but I kinda of want ideas for the Emerald City. What shenanigans should this intrepid group get into while in the city of green? Mostly because who goes some place and don't explore a bit before getting down to business? Doesn't matter how ludicrous the idea is- PM me, or leave a review, whatever you please to do.

Till next time then! :3


	6. Lying in a Poppy Field With You

Chapter 6- Lying in a Poppy Field with You

Lucy laughed as the small group continued through the forest, Wendy growing slightly more confident as she and Gajeel talked, even thought every once in a while she would say something that would cause Gajeel to laugh, and she'd jump a foot. The whole time, Lucy held Natsu's hand with her own, barely noticing the time flying by.

It wasn't until the sky began to show more clearly through the trees and the woods began to thin when Lucy noticed area in front of her was large and, strangely, green. She gasped as they left the woods, eyes wide, and Natsu grinned. "Didn't think it was that large, huh?"

Lucy shook her head. "It's marvelous. Is that the Emerald City?"

Gajeel chuckled. "Well, it ain't no city made of rubies, if that's what you mean."

Lucy smacked him lightly. "Shush."

Wendy nodded, giggling. "We're out of the worst of it now- next stop, Emerald City!"

Lucy grinned as she squeezed Natsu's hand, then pointed with the other. "What's that on up ahead?"

Natsu peered ahead, shrugging. "Not sure. What month is it?"

"April!" Wendy piped up helpfully, and Gajeel patted her head.

"Clever. Those must be the Sunset Poppies. Every year at this time, they go into full bloom in this area, and make the Emerald City look like it's surrounded by a sunset. It's supposedly quite beautiful if you go out for a picnic with someone."

"Like you'd know all about that, huh Gajeel?" Lucy teased as she pulled Natsu on ahead. "Come on!"

Laughing, she led the mad dash to the poppies, a dash that only stopped when she entered the heavenly aroma all around her. The poppies were absolutely marvelous, and she grinned at Natsu. "Doesn't that smell amazing?"

Natsu shrugged, looking slightly put off. "Wouldn't know." He said slowly. "Can't smell."

Lucy frowned slightly. "Well, you're missing out."

Wendy nodded as she caught up with them, Plue bouncing along on her head. "Gajeel too- even though he can always come back and smell them when he falls in love."

"Haha, very funny. Let's go pipsqueak." Gajeel muttered angrily as he grabbed the back of Wendy's hood, only pausing to give Natsu and Lucy a meaningful, 'Have Your Alone Time Look'.

Lucy flushed, looking away. "What on earth was that?" She called after Gajeel, but Natsu tugged her slightly off the path, grinning.

"Tell me what they smell like."

Lucy frowned again, chewing on her lip slightly. "Well, they smell like poppies." She said, slightly nervously, and Natsu chuckled.

"I got that, Captain Obvious. But what do poppies smell like?"

Lucy smiled as she knelt down, picking a poppy from the ground. "Well, they smell sweet and tangy all at the same time, kind of like the taste of an orange, but better."

"So… kinda like a kiss?"

Lucy blinked in surprise, looking up. "What do you mean?"

Natsu looked away, a faint pink dusting his cheeks. "A munchkin told me once that he thought kisses tasted tangy and sweet."

Lucy flushed a bit herself, and she glanced away. "Well, yeah. I guess you could call it that." She yawned slightly, fingers playing lazily with a flower petal. "What was your first kiss like?"

Natsu pulled a face. "I wouldn't know. Not a lot of people are willing to kiss a brainless oaf."

Lucy chuckled softly, and she yawned again. "Well, I'm quite sure that when you get a brain, the girls will be lining up to knock down your door."

Natsu bit his lip, sitting down beside her. "Lucy, I…" He paused for a minute, steeling himself. "There's something I wanted to ask you."

"What is it?" Lucy asked, vaguely aware of her surroundings. When had the ground begun to look so comfortable? Natsu's words were muddled slightly as she tried to fight off the sleepy haze that was enveloping her slowly. This was no time to fall asleep- she had to make it to the Emerald City to speak with the Wizard.

Her brain made a good argument about how the Wizard wasn't going anywhere, and she reluctantly agreed as she fell sideways, smiling slightly as she breathed in the poppies, listening to Natsu talk. She could just go and fall asleep for a hundred years, she was so tired. Just like Rip Van Winkle.

She didn't even have the energy to wonder who Rip Van Winkle was as Natsu's tone changed, and she could hear the panic in his voice as she drifted off into slumber.

"Lucy? Lucy! Wake up! Please! Wake up!"

* * *

Lucy opened her eyes, groaning as she sat up. She was in a bed in a stark white room, and she grinned as she stood up. She was back at Fairy Tail, in the infirmary. She stretched as she stood up, idly wondering how she'd gotten there. All she remembered was the poppy field, and then…

She shook her head. "Plue?" She called, looking around the room. The little dog rarely left her side, he was still probably asleep on the bed. But when she turned around, Plue wasn't in sight.

What was on the bed though, chilled her to the bone.

A girl laid on the bed, her skin pale against the white bandages that seemed to cover her from head to toe. She looked like she could be sleeping, if not for the unnatural stillness. Lucy stood stock-still for a moment before she moved forward slowly, gulping slightly. It didn't look like the girl was breathing- should she call for help?

The door to the infirmary opened, and Wendy walked in slowly, staring intently at some papers in her hand. She looked very strange, long black hair pulled into pigtails with a pair of white cat ears perched on her head. Her golden fur was gone, as was her tail. She was muttering to herself, and she glanced up for a brief moment. "Morning Lucy."

Lucy blinked in surprise, shaking her head. "Wendy, what's happened? I don't remember anything. Who's this girl? Where's Gajeel and Natsu?"

Wendy sat down in a chair next to the bed, and she began inspecting the bandages. "Well, these look like they're ready to come off." She mused slightly, but her eyes were oddly blank as her hands began to glow strangely.

Lucy grimaced. "Wendy, listen to me! Where are we?" When the little girl didn't answer, Lucy huffed slightly. "Fine. If you're going to be like this, I'm going to find them myself." She muttered, walking out of the room, leaving the newest member of her group behind.

She sensed something was off almost instantly. The Fairy Tail she knew was loud, lively. This was almost like an empty room; everyone was speaking in low murmurs as Lucy looked down at them. She noticed most of the people down below were glancing warily up at a room further along the landing, and curiosity got the best of her. She trotted down the hall towards a set of ornate doors. She could hear muffled voices on the other side, and she pressed her ear to the door to hear better.

" Master, I'm not quite sure about this. Wendy's working on her now, and I, for one, believe she'll pull through. I trust in Wendy's abilities." Lucy could hear the woman speaking walking around the room, a agitated note in her voice. "Who's to say she won't wake up today? Or even tomorrow?"

There was a sigh, and a man spoke up, his voice weary. "Mirajane, I know how you feel. I want her to wake up as well."

There was a snort, and a new voice spoke up, a voice that made the back of Lucy's head ache, and resurrected a memory of being smacked by a broom. "I've told you already Makarov, Wendy and I have done all we can for her. Her mind is still piecing itself together; after a blow like that, I was surprised she even lasted long enough for me to get there. Her body is still in quite a bit of disrepair; even I've been having trouble healing her. But no matter what has happened, the longer she's in this coma, the less likely she'll ever wake up. Even if she does, we don't know what she'll wake up as. She could be a completely different person, or she might not even be able to use magic ever again. Brain injuries are tricky that way."

The woman named Mirajane huffed slightly. "She will! I know she will Porlyusica, she'll wake up and be fine. Even if I have to teach her a new magic, I'll make sure she never feels different than before. She's even got-"

Makarov cut her off. "Mirajane, I understand. But Porlyusica is right. We have to prepare for the worse. And we have to tell him."

Mirajane made a small noise. "No Master! You can't do that to him. He's so sure she's going to be awake when he comes back. Can't we just keep telling him she's resting and leave it at that?"

Porlyusica snorted. "Why keep lying? He'll mourn her loss, just like the rest of us, and move on."

"You sound like you've already given up."

There was a long pause, then Porlyusica sighed. "Makarov, I'm being realistic. I still stand by what I said yesterday. It's been a month already, and she's fallen into a persistent vegetative state. You can wait another few months if you want, but her chances of waking up are pretty slim already."

Silence reigned in the office for a long time, and Mirajane finally spoke. "Master… You… You can't be serious. She's going to wake up."

There was a heavy sigh, and when Makarov spoke, there was no mistaking the pain in his voice. "Even if we did hold on, for how long would it be Mirajane? Here's the ultimatum, we either hold out for something that may never happen, or we end it now."

There was a sniff, and Lucy could hear the tears in Mirajane's voice. "If that's what it has come to, then you need to speak with Natsu. Even if I'm against it, he needs to be informed."

Mirajane kept talking, but Lucy wasn't listening anymore. She straightened up, glancing back at the main room of the guild. So Natsu was here, and he had some connection to Fairy Tail as well. Whoever the girl in the infirmary was, they were definitely close, and Lucy felt a pang of jealousy.

She blinked in surprise, then snorted. There was no way she was jealous of some girl in a coma. Natsu was her friend, not someone she would ever date. No. Never.

Alright, maybe.

She had to admit, their relationship was turning into dark, uncharted waters as they'd made their way to the Emerald City. She wasn't sure whether to be frightened or excited, but she felt guilty deep down underneath those emotions. She was lusting after someone she'd barely met, and wasn't even a real person! Lucy didn't know how far she'd even be able to get in a relationship with the scarecrow, she was flesh and bone, and he was straw and fabric sewn together.

She shook her head. Natsu was her friend, first and foremost. She had however was waiting at Fairy Tail for her. Panic built up in her after a moment. Were they still even waiting?

_I love you Lucy. You're like a piece of my soul that was missing, and some jester in weird sunglasses isn't about to take my mate from me._

Lucy started, looking around. She could've sworn she'd heard someone a minute ago. But as the words kept echoing in her brain, she began to wonder if it was part of her memories. She could almost see that person, moving closer before he kissed her, evoking feelings she'd hidden away. Lucy gritted her teeth in frustration as she tried to recall his face.

She rubbed her temples, blowing out a lung full of air when Natsu's face popped in her mind. Great. Now she was confusing the Natsu with someone from Fairy Tail. Of all the stupid…

Lucy shook her head, focusing on the task at hand. All she knew was she had to find Natsu and Gajeel and get them to explain what was happening. Maybe she didn't have to find the Wizard after all- she was back home at Fairy Tail, even if she couldn't recall who she'd been trying to get back to.

There was a loud noise somewhere down below, and Lucy turned, raising her eyebrow. "What was that?" She asked the empty corridor, but it held no answers as the commotion continued.

The door behind her opened, and Lucy jumped a foot as a white-haired woman rushed past, wiping her eyes to hide the tears that were falling down her cheeks. An old man and woman followed after her, but at a much slower pace. Lucy turned bright red. "I'm really sorry; I wasn't listening at all."

The elderly pair ignored her, both frowning as they split up, the woman to the infirmary and the man after the young woman. After a moment, Lucy followed after them, frowning. It was like they hadn't even seen her, which was odd. She'd been standing right in front of the door.

The old man and the young woman walked over towards the bar, and as Lucy descended the steps, she took the opportunity to look around the guild. Her eyes widened as she caught sight of Gajeel, looking extremely human beside a blue-haired girl whose eyes were red from crying as she blew into a handkerchief. She was almost about to walk over and demand an explanation when she saw their hands clasped inconspicuously beneath the table.

Lucy smiled as she put two and two together. Gajeel had broken his spell and found someone who loved him after all. She reminded herself to congratulate the pair as she left them alone, following after the young woman, who'd pulled a man into her arms, hugging him tightly.

A man with shockingly pink hair.

Lucy's eyes widened as Natsu pulled away, pulling a face. "God Mirajane. I was only gone a few weeks. Don't need to get so worried about nothing." He turned to the old man. "Hey Gramps. Long time no see. How are things holding up?"

Lucy rushed over, relief written all over her face. "Natsu! Thank goodness you're here! How did we-" She stopped short, her brown eyes widening further.

This Natsu was different than the one she knew, his face not made out of cloth like she'd expected, but he was flesh and bone, a scarf looped lazily around his neck. But something told her he was still the Natsu she'd known and crossed through Oz with. And, with even more relief, just as brainless as ever as he launched into a full-fledged anecdote about the mission he'd been on, completely ignoring the depressed mood all around him.

'Gramps' cut him off. "Natsu, I'm sorry, but things aren't good here."

Natsu stopped short of his story, eyeing the people in the guild. "What, did Sabertooth attack us? Or was it Twilight Ogre again?"

Mirajane shook her head, putting her hand on Natsu's shoulder. "No, it's not that." She had the look of someone fighting back tears as she spoke softly. "It's Lucy."

Lucy and Natsu balked at exactly the same moment. "What do you mean, it's Lucy?" Natsu asked slowly, a strangely serious expression on his face.

Lucy snorted, stomping her foot slightly. "Yeah, what about me? I'm right here you know!"

No one paid her any attention as Makarov looked up the stairs at the infirmary. "She hasn't gotten better yet, and Porlyusica thinks she might not wake up. She's in a coma."

Natsu dashed up the stairs, and a red-haired woman stood up. "Master, if it's alright…"

'Gramps' nodded. "Yes, you and Gray can go up Erza. But I'll warn you to prepare yourselves. Porlyusica has asked for me to think about…" His words died, and he seemed to age even more before he spoke again. "Taking her off the life support lacrima."

Erza looked horrified as she and a black-haired man in the booth next to her ran up the stairs. Lucy looked around worriedly, panicking. "But I'm right here! I'm here!" She yelled, and tears of rage and confusion ran down her face as she ran after them.

Outside the infirmary, she raised a hand to wipe the tears away, and to her horror, she could see right through her arm. Without a second thought, she ran into the room, taking in the infirmary again.

Lucy stared, horrified, at her body on the bed. The bandages had been removed so Wendy could heal her, revealing the damage. Her face looked strange, emotionless as Wendy worked on her face, healing the cuts and bruises there. She brushed a hand over her own cheek bone, feeling no blemishes as she watched Wendy work. The cuts had been larger at one point, and the bruises were slowly fading, but Lucy felt sick as she watched Wendy labor over her.

Wendy looked up, and she smiled comfortingly at Natsu. "I'll have her looking back to normal soon, I promise Natsu."

Natsu nodded dumbly as he sat down, swallowing slightly. "How… How bad was it?"

"Is it." The pink haired woman snorted, barely looking up from the poultice she was mixing. "Her brain is still swollen from where the table hit her, and I can't seem to get it to go down."

Wendy pulled a face, shooting her a glance. "Porlyusica, don't say that." Wendy turned back to her work. "It was really bad for a while there, but she's making good progress considering."

"Considering what?" Erza asked, and Wendy grimaced.

"While the swelling keeps persisting, she's still alive and kicking. For a while there, neither of us expected her to make it this far." She glanced up and grasped Natsu's hand, squeezing it slightly. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, she'll be right as rain before you know it."

Natsu nodded dumbly, his eyes still fixed on Lucy's immobile face, and Lucy couldn't help but feel like Wendy was pushing herself too hard. She could see the bags under Wendy's eyes, and she wondered how many nights the girl had worked diligently.

Lucy needed them to see her, to know she was here with them. Everyone in the room looked so sullen, so depressed, she wanted them to know there was still hope.

She slammed her hands on the edge of the bed, only to have them fall through the frame. Lucy whimpered as she caught herself, grabbing her hair as the group continued to talk about her, and she screamed at them. "Natsu! Natsu look at me! I'm still here!" She howled, grabbing at her hair.

Her brain came up with the only rational explanation she could fathom. This was all a sick, twisted, demented dream. She balled her fists, waving her hand in front of Natsu's face. Finally, she punched her hand through his head in desperation, but when he didn't even notice her presence she backed away, looking worriedly around the room. This had to be a dream, nothing but a dream.

But it all felt so real, the pain she felt for these strangers, and she couldn't take it anymore. She bolted from the room, gasping for air as she fought down the urge to vomit. She'd never felt so useless in her entire life.

"…cy…"

Lucy around, wondering if she was imagining things again. But there was no one near her, and she took a deep breath before rushing down the stairs.

She thought that no one noticed her bolt through the large doors that led outside, but one head turned and watched her flee. Bixlow frowned as he stood up, and Evergreen shot him a look. "What's up Bixlow?"

Bixlow watched her go, frowning. "I think… I think I just saw…" He shook his head as he left the table, running after her.

Lucy ran until she couldn't anymore, and she collapsed against a tree, sobbing. She couldn't understand why she couldn't wake up, despite her best attempts. She banged her fist against the tree, hating herself. She'd never felt so helpless before. She could remember someone always being there for her, ready to rescue her, and she stiffened as she realized her situation.

No one was going to rescue her this time.

She was going to be stuck in this dream forever.

She balled her fist, pulling herself together. She was going to have to get herself out of this mess, just like how she'd fought off the witch and Wendy. She couldn't rely on others forever. She'd been using her friends like shields, just as she'd swore she'd never do to her stellar spirits. This time, when she got back to Oz, she'd be strong and resolute, and never waiver from her journey. She'd make it to the real Fairy Tail, and she'd protect everyone, no matter what.

She sat up, feeling much better, and as the wind blew softly all around her, she could've sworn she'd heard the voice again.

"Lu….cy…"

"Lucy!"

Lucy's head snapped up, and she looked around. A figure was running toward her, and she stood up, eyes wide. "Who is it?" She called, biting her lip. She hoped this wasn't someone looking for another Lucy.

Bixlow walked up to the tree, grinning cheekily as always, with his tongue hanging out. "Figured you'd come here. Natsu ripped up this tree for you once, a long time ago."

Lucy looked around, frowning. "You can see me?" She asked, incredulous, and Bixlow nodded.

"Yeah. I can see souls, remember?" His grin fell slightly, and he took off his helmet. "But I'd never figure I'd see you off one day."

Lucy looked away, staring at the tree. "Natsu… You said he ripped up this tree for me?"

Bixlow nodded. "Don't you remember?"

Lucy shook her head. "Everything's been fuzzy."

Bixlow nodded, patting her on the shoulder gently. Even though Lucy couldn't feel it, the gesture made her feel better just a bit. "Well, this tree is special. It blooms once a year, and it turns the most beautiful colors you've ever seen. You got sick the day it was supposed to bloom, and you couldn't even leave your house. He floated it down the canal so you could see it."

Lucy smiled ruefully. "I wish I could remember it."

Bixlow smiled at her, but she could see the sadness in his face as he casually tousled his hair. "I kinda wish you'd be able to see it again. It's in another month or so."

Lucy frowned, staring at him curiously. "Bixlow… What do you mean? I'll be back soon."

Bixlow shook his head. "No… No you won't cheerleader."

She flushed angrily. "You know I hate that name."

Bixlow chuckled. "You know I love teasing you." His expression turned somber. "Lucy… You've got to know what's happened to you."

Lucy nodded. "This is just a crazy dream Bixlow. I'm going to wake up soon, safe and sound back in Oz."

Bixlow's eyebrows furrowed as he mouthed the word 'Oz'. He shook his head after a minute. "No Lucy, you aren't."

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Look, this is probably some spell that crazy witch put on me. I'm just going to-"

"You're ghosting Lucy."

Lucy blinked, then mouthed the word ghosting, wondering what it meant. Bixlow sat down. "Look Lucy, I don't advertise it, but I see ghosts. I help them get to the…. You know…"

Lucy shook her head as she sat down next to him. "I'm not dead Bixlow. Just asleep."

Bixlow nodded. "But you've left your body behind. It means you have no intention of returning, nor have the ability to return."

Lucy felt her eyes water as she shook her head. "I'm not… I can't be…" She ran her hands nervously through her hair. "What about…"

Bixlow pressed his forehead to hers. "Lucy. You've got to let go. You'll be happier the sooner you move on."

Lucy whimpered softly, hanging her head. "Bixlow… Stop this. This is already one crazy dream, I don't want-"

"Lucy!"

Her head jerked up again, and Bixlow smiled remorsefully. "You can hear it, can't you? Something's calling you."

Lucy shook her head. "No, I can't-"

"Lucy!"

The world was growing fainter, and Bixlow smiled. "Don't worry about us. We'll be fine here without you."

Lucy shook her head, fighting against the voice. "No! Bixlow! I don't-"

"LUCY!"

She grabbed for Bixlow's hand, desperate for something to cling to as she felt herself being pulled away, and the last thing she saw was him smiling sadly as the world around her went black.

* * *

"Lucy!"

Lucy's eyes snapped open, and she groaned as a bright light flooded her vision. "What… What happened?"

Natsu grinned at her, relief flooding his face. "Gajeel! She woke up!"

Lucy groaned as she sat up, taking in her surroundings. She was sitting in a field of poppies, but there was a thick blanket of snow covering everything. She looked to her right, and let out a sigh of relief as she hugged Natsu the scarecrow. "I've had the most terrible dream!"

Natsu smiled as he patted her back. "There there. You're safe and sound, back in good old Oz."

Lucy smiled as she flopped backwards. "I dreamt I was dead, and no one could see me. Or I was supposed to be in a coma, but Bixlow kept saying I was dead and I need to move on."

Gajeel walked over, creaking slightly as he pressed two fingers to her neck. After a minute, he chuckled. "Nope, bunny girl's still with us. You've still got a pulse."

Lucy's grin went wider. "Thank goodness for that. What happened here?"

Natsu grimaced as he got to his feet before helping her up. "Some weird spell. Since Gajeel and I don't breathe, we were fine, but you, Wendy, and Plue all fell asleep. No matter what we did, we couldn't wake you up." He looked away. "Your pulse was slowing down too. Whatever was in the poppy pollen was killing you slowly. All of you."

Lucy's eyes widened. "Then how'd you break the spell?"

Gajeel shrugged. "We didn't. We started calling for help, and suddenly it started to snow. It froze all the flowers, and you finally woke up." He kicked at some of the offending flowers. "It must have killed the flowers."

Lucy looked down, frowning. "Pity. They were absolutely beautiful." She sniffed the air, then grinned. "Chocolate and butterscotch. This must be Glinda's doing."

Natsu grinned. "Then we'll have to thank her when we see her next." He grabbed Lucy's hand. "Come on. Let's see if Wendy and Plue are awake yet."

Lucy allowed him to pull her along, but her mind was fixed on the dream still. What had that been all about? She bit her lip as she looked at the back of Natsu's head, at that mass of pink hair. Why had she dreamed of a normal Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy?

* * *

Cheerio chaps!

I'm on a roll! Maybe it's been all the Wicked on the brain, but I'm absolutely in the zone with this story. I went to see the show last Wednesday, surprise surprise to me! I'd already read the book, and I've been listening/singing the songs since I was in grade school ages ago. (And I'm in college now. It's been quite a while.) If you know the musical, then you know what I'm talking about when I say I've always been just like Galinda, or Glinda for those who haven't seen it. My sister and I fit the descriptions of Elphaba and Galinda perfectly, so we learned the song What is this feeling? almost immediately, and I sing the Galinda parts and she sings the Elphaba part. We still sing it when my grandma has parties and feel like singing.

Though that doesn't mean she doesn't sing Popular better than me. But I got to see Wicked without her, so I don't feel too bad about it. :D

Enough about my horrible singing voice. Still in need of ideas for the next chappie, which is going to be a collection of shenanigans the group gets into at the Emerald City. I'm looking for ways so that Lucy and Natsu can get closer (squee) and maybe introduce Wendy's character a bit more. She's been a bit of a cowardly cry-baby, but I need to introduce more cowardliness, and less crying.

BTW- sorry to disappoint everyone who thought the Lion was going to be Leo. But honestly, I could never see him as a coward in the role I've got planned for the lion.

As for the people who guessed the Tin Man might be Erza, that was originally the plan. I was going to have it be Natsu, Erza, and Gray as Lucy's companions, but Gray could never be the cowardly lion, and I did have a thought about him being made of ice instead of tin, but you can't run around Oz looking like an ice sculpture. You'd melt. And Erza as the lion was borderline ridiculous.

I really am going to enjoy writing these next few chapters. :D I hope you find this story as entertaining as I have found just writing it.

Till next time then!

But first- this is based on a true story, and my good friend Nixon wrote this. And yes. His name really is Nixon.

Toilet baptism; the great unclean  
Solid proof that life is mean

Removed from my pocket;  
Spun from my hand  
Ignoring my cries  
My pleas and demands

Like a stone from a sling  
It sailed; it flew!  
My poor iPhone, I barely knew you

No rice to be found  
No off slider to be seen  
My eyes grew round  
Filled with misty sheen  
Google showed me what  
This undoubtedly means

Life isn't fair  
My iPhone is dead!  
I pull out my hair  
This is all on my head

Now iPhone "B3"  
Between wedges of dry granola  
Rests peacefully

I curse the day I was born  
If I had a robe  
It would surely be torn  
Sackclolth on my head  
A modern-day Job

Now I'm alone  
For eternity  
There is no one  
There is just me  
Nothing to do now  
(Facebook, wikipedia, IMDB)  
Nothing to do now  
Except lay down and sleep...


	7. One Short Day

Chapter 7- One Short Day

Lucy was amazed as she walked through the Emerald City, eyes wide with wonder as she took in the sights. When they said this was the Emerald City, they weren't kidding. Everything, from the buildings to the clothes the people wore, were varying shades of green. All in all, it was quite beautiful, despite Natsu and Gajeel's grumbles about how ostentatious it all was. She couldn't help but half-heartedly agree herself. Her white and blue ripped dress stood out in the town, attracting almost as much attention as Wendy's yellow fur coat and Gajeel's creaking and groaning, rusted body. She fidgeting slightly with the hem of her dress where she'd torn bits off in brush, trying hard not to think about the large chunk missing from where she'd torn her dress apart to fix Natsu's leg.

She glanced back at Natsu, noting he was limping again. He didn't seem to notice, trudging along behind an excited Wendy holding a wriggling Plue. She bit her lip glancing back farther. He wasn't dropping straw, but she had the feeling her quick replacement of his lower leg was slowly failing. He was a man made of straw, not supposed to be made of weeds and other vegetation.

She turned back before he noticed she was watching him, frowning slightly. How would they even find someone to patch him up in this big city? She sighed as they made their way towards the large structure in the middle of the town, a tall building made of what looked like glittering emeralds. Only one person could live in such an impressive building, and she was determined to make him help her find Fairy Tail.

Wendy moved closer to Lucy, grabbing her hand. "Lucy… Are you sure this is the right way?"

Lucy nodded. "Yeah, I'm positive. Is something wrong Wendy."

Wendy bit her lip. "I was excited to get here, but now…" She glanced around worriedly. "Everyone's looking at us. And people keep leering at me strangely."

Lucy squeezed her hand. "Don't worry about it Wendy. We'll keep you safe."

"Easy for you to say." Gajeel muttered, and Lucy shot him a look as Wendy's eyes widened slightly.

"Don't worry Gajeel. I won't tell anyone you and Natsu were frightened out of your minds by a little girl." She shot back, and Wendy giggled slightly. Lucy squeezed her hand comfortingly again. "He's just upset he's been bested twice in the same day, once by the witch, and once by you, and I protected those two numbskulls both times."

Wendy's eyes glimmered with awe. "You're amazing, you know that Lucy? Not everyone walks away from the Wicked Witch just like that."

Lucy looked down at her shoes, smiling slightly. "Maybe these are a good luck charm."

"Halt! Who goes there?"

Lucy looked up at a large man with white hair, built like an bull. He had the appearance of one too, horns sticking out from his forehead under his hat, a large gold ring through his nose.

Lucy drew herself up, tightening her grip on Wendy's hand as the girl tried to back away. "I'm here to see the Wizard."

The man snorted. "Nonsense. No one sees the Wizard without an appointment."

Lucy grimaced. She'd had a feeling something like this was bound to happen. "Look, I've come a long way. Glinda told me I had to see the Wizard, and I've walked all the way in these damned shoes with a witch on my heels. Some ox-man isn't going to stop me."

The man looked down, and his eyes widened as his eyes caught the glimmer of the ruby shoes. "So you're the girl we've heard so much about." His face split into a grin, and he shook the hand that wasn't clutching Wendy. "I'm sorry, I didn't recognize you. Let me be the first to welcome you to the Emerald City." He moved aside, gesturing inside. "You and your friends can go on in. Tell Mirajane I let you in to see the Wizard. He'll want to see you as soon as possible."

Lucy grinned. "Thanks… um…"

The man chuckled. "I forgot to tell you my name. I'm Elfman. But go on ahead, the Wizard's waiting."

Lucy tugged Wendy forward, quickly moving inside. "Well, that was easier than I expected." Natsu said as the doors behind them closed.

Lucy nodded. "But he's expecting us! I guess this means we'll all get what we want soon."

Plue barked happily as Wendy nodded. "I'm going to get my courage. Finally." She said, and Lucy couldn't help but feel happy for the girl as they walked through the quiet corridor.

When the corridor opened up, Lucy had expected to see a giant throne awaiting them, but instead she saw a desk, with a mass of blue hair sticking up.

"Wizard's office; please hold. Wizard's office; please hold. Wizard's off- For the last time Jet, stop bothering me at work. I'll be home around 7 tonight, you and Droy will have to fend for yourselves." There was a sigh, and the woman grumbled. "Yes, yes, I know. Good-bye Jet." She clicked a button. "Wizard's office, please-" She looked up at the group, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, I understand Madame Morrible. But Glinda is Glinda, she'll do what she wants. I have to go, Elfman let in some… oddballs." She set the phone down as she stood up, pushing her blue hair out of her face and back into her bright green bandana. "Can I help you?"

Lucy nodded. "We're here to see the Wizard. I'm Lucy, and this is Wendy, Natsu, and Gajeel."

The woman frowned, pulling on a pair of glasses as she flipped open a book. She scanned the pages, her frown deepening. "Do you have an appointment under another name?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, but I-"

She shut the book hastily, sighing as she took off her glasses. "You four aren't from the city, are you? You can't just barge in here and demand to see the Wizard. It just isn't done."

Gajeel glared at her. "And I suppose a little shrimp like you is going to stop us?"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I will."

Lucy shot Gajeel a look. "Elfman told us to find someone named Mirajane, and she'd understand. You aren't her, are you?"

She shook her head. "No, my name's Levy. Elfman's sister works in our security department, but she's a higher up. She can't be bothered everyone Elfman sends in."

Natsu huffed. "This is stupid. She's Lucy, as in the Lucy who slew the Witch of the East." He gestured downwards. "She has the shoes."

Levy leaned over the edge of the desk and looked down, and astonishment registered on her face. "My god, so you are." She dashed around the desk, her green dress swishing and swaying as pumped Lucy's arm up and down. "I'm sorry Lucy, you caught me off guard. I was expecting someone, well…" She paused, then added. "Someone like Glinda."

Lucy frowned. 'I'm sorry I'm not more regal. Can we see the Wizard now?"

Levy looked aghast. "Looking like that? Heavens no! You need to make an impression, and we can't have you going in dressed like a ragamuffin from Kansas!" She snapped her fingers, and a white haired woman appeared. "Lisanna, do me a favor. Watch the desk for me. I'm going to take Lucy of Fairy Tail and her friends to Evergreen's Emporium. Call ahead; tell them to be ready for us and order a coach. The Wizard will cover the cost."

Lisanna nodded. "Yes ma'am." She sat down at the desk, picking up the phone.

Levy pushed Lucy towards the doors. "I'm so excited to meet you, all of Oz is already talking about your braverism. Good witches are hard to come by in this day and age, the Wicked Witch has been extremely careful about anyone with magic coming to this land. Is it true you can hurl lightning and call thunder?"

Lucy couldn't help but laugh. "No, I can't."

Levy grinned. "Then it's got to be a more powerful magic. To kill the Witch of the East, you've got to be the most powerful witch in all the land, even more powerful than Glinda!"

She led them outside, where a large coach was waiting them, all decked out in green and gold ostentatiously. A pair of white horses pawed the ground, throwing their heads excitedly as the man driving the coach tipped his hat to the group. "Levy."

Levy curtsied. "Gray. We'd like to go to Evergreen's Emporium. This is Lucy of Fairy Tail, the Good Witch who slew the Witch of the East."

Gray nodded. "And here, I figured Jet or Droy had set your house on fire again." He snapped his fingers, and the door sprang open. "I'll take you there right away."

Lucy looked at the horses and grinned. "And hello to these two beauties as well. What are you names?"

Gray raised an eyebrow, and Levy laughed. "They won't answer you. They're just horses, they don't speak."

Lucy blinked, looking at Wendy. "Don't all animals talk here?"

Wendy shook her head. "Some of us lose our abilities to talk." She flushed, looking down. "You'll be hard pressed to find an animal here that speaks other than at the Wizard's castle. It's not…"

"Proper. We can't have horses pulling carriages, complaining about weight and what not. It's not done here." Levy stepped into the carriage, and Gray nodded.

"It's true miss. But you've asked their names, and I'm obligied to tell you. The one on the left is Indigo, and the one on the right is Emerald." The said horse turned its head, looking at Gray reproachfully, and Gray chuckled. "But she goes by Emmie. They're horses of different color, these two."

Lucy raised an eyebrow, and in response, Emmie shook herself slightly, and, to Lucy's astonishment, Emmie's coat began to fall away, revealing a emerald green coat underneath. Gray frowned. "Come on Emmie. You're both supposed to match."

Indigo neighed, and shook himself out as well, turning himself an emerald horse as well, and Gray sighed. "They're hard to control, these two."

Lucy nodded as her companions moved into the carriage, and she frowned, staring up at the carriage driver. "Gray, have you ever heard of the guild Fairy Tail? I could've sworn I've met you before."

Gray grinned. "Never my dear. But I would definitely remember a beauty such as you." He pulled a rose out of thin air and handed it to her. "There's a ball tonight, in celebration of you actually and your arrival. I would be honored if you went with me."

Lucy flushed slightly. "I'll think about it." She said, taking the rose as she stepped into the carriage.

As she sat down next to Levy, the door shut, and the carriage rattled away. Natsu was looking at her strangely. "Where'd you get the rose?"

Lucy tucked it into her basket, still smiling. "Gray gave it to me."

Levy's mouth split into a grin. "He asked you to the ball, didn't he?" When Lucy nodded, Levy clasped her hands together. "What did you say to him?"

Lucy flushed a bit. "I said maybe."

Levy grinned excitedly. "Well, you should say yes! Gray wouldn't just ask ANYONE."

Gajeel squeaked as he shifted uncomfortably. 'What's this ball?"

Levy blinked, then gasped. "You wouldn't know, would you? Every week, the citizens of the Emerald City hold a ball for some reason or another, and normally it's in honor of the Wizard. But this week it was decided to honor Lucy and celebrate the death of the witch. You ask someone by giving them a flower of choice. This week it's a blood red rose, representing the red blood of the Witch, and Lucy's red shoes she won."

Lucy shifted uncomfortably, looking down at the rose. All she could see was the witch's legs sticking out from under her house, but Levy continued on, undeterred. "It's a masked ball too, so you can go and enjoy it without everyone asking about your feats."

Lucy nodded, and she looked up at Natsu. Natsu was staring out the window, and he looked slightly unnerved for some reason. She sighed, looking out the window herself.

Lucy couldn't deny it, she wanted Natsu to ask her to the ball, but she wondered if it even crossed the brainless oaf's mind to ask her. She barely heard Wendy and Levy talking about the ball, and she couldn't help but smirk at the thought of how uncomfortable Gajeel was probably feeling. She turned her head, looking at the Iron Man. "Gajeel, are you going to ask someone? This could be your chance to find love~." She teased, and, to her shock, Gajeel's face turned a yellowish color, signifying his blush.

"There was someone who I was thinking about. She's supposed to be here in the Emerald City, she moved her a few years ago." He muttered, and Levy grinned.

"Excellent! After you're all tidied up, you can ask Gray to take you to find her."

Gajeel muttered something, looking back out the window. "She's probably married by now. She always wanted a big family, and I wasn't quite ready to help her with that dream."

Levy turned a little pink as she turned back to Wendy. "Who knows. Maybe she's been waiting for you all this time."

Lucy watched the pair, feeling like she was missing something, and she turned to look at Natsu again, only to find him staring at her with a peculiar expression. To hide her own flush, she looked back out the window as the carriage came to a halt outside a glamorous looking shop, with men and women lined up outside the coach. Levy stepped out first, embracing a tall woman. "Evergreen! I hope we haven't inconvenienced you."

Evergreen waved her off, adjusting her glasses. "I cleared my schedule for the next hour for Lucy and her companions." She pursed her lips as Lucy and the rest stepped out. "Oh dear. Lisanna wasn't lying."

Levy nodded. "Can you help?"

Evergreen nodded, clapping her hands. "Take the Tin Man to have all that rust removed immediately. I want him to shine." She ordered, and 5 men ushered Gajeel off.

"I'm not Tin, I'm Iron! IRON!"

She motioned to the rest. "The scarecrow's seen better days. Take him to be restuffed."

"Wait, what?" Was all Lucy heard as some more men stole Natsu away, and he started shouting something about being fine, but Wendy's hand in Lucy's was distracting her slightly.

The little girl was shivering uncontrollably as Evergreen motioned to several women, and Lucy patted her shoulder. "It'll be fine Wendy. Just call for me if something happens, I'll be there for you."

As Wendy was rushed off, Plue taken from her arms by another woman, Evergreen snorted. "That dress has seen better days. You four- take her to be pampered, and find her a dress that doesn't make my eyes ache."

Levy nodded. "Now, about my appointment later, I was thinking…"

Lucy didn't hear the last as she was herded inside. She was taken down a hallway, the girls all giggling around her. "Wow, a real Good Witch in our salon!" One gasped, pulling out a strange device, and another girl shot her a look.

"Clairee, your Twitter can wait till later. Miss Evergreen said no one was to know until later about Lucy and her friends being here."

Clairee pulled a face, but she stuffed the object away. Another girl snorted slightly. "Besides, the world can go on without you informing half the population of Oz who you've been sleeping with lately."

Clairee flushed. "Shut it Amanda. That's so-"

There was a scream, and the girls jumped in surprise. Lucy winced. "Can you take me to where Wendy is first before we start this?"

Amanda nodded. "It's close by. You'll actually be right next door to her."

The girls led her to a room that was absolutely adorable, and the four women were standing around a corner, each holding a set of clippers. "There there, it won't hurt. Just sit back in the chair and-"

"No!"

Lucy shooed the four women away, frowning. She knelt in front of Wendy, who had her hands over her head, whimpering slightly. Lucy smiled as she set a hand on Wendy's paw. "Wendy, what's wrong?"

Wendy opened her eyes, latching onto Lucy instantly. "Lucy! They want to clip my mane! And mess with my claws!"

Lucy patted her back softly. "There there, it's fine. It won't hurt a bit." She gently led the girl to the chair, sitting her down. Wendy sniffed as Lucy picked up a pair of trimmers. "Do you trust me Wendy?"

Wendy nodded, and Lucy smiled. "Good. Now, I'm just going to cut a little mane, ok? It's grown oddly in places, and you want to look good for the Wizard, right?"

Wendy nodded, shutting her eyes, and she clutched Lucy's hand as the other moved up by her head. Lucy carefully snipped a small bit, holding it with her fingers. She pulled her hand forward in front of Wendy as the lioness spoke. "Is it over?"

Lucy chuckled. "Yep." She opened Wendy's paw, setting down the lock of mane. "Was that so painful?"

Wendy shook her head, and Lucy straightened up. "These ladies are here to make you pretty Wendy. Don't worry."

Wendy looked at her paw. "What about my claws then? They were talking about trimming my claws."

Lucy shook her head. "It won't hurt. They'll make them a little neater for you. Have you had hang claws before?"

Wendy's eyes widened. "They're really painful. Is that what it'll be like?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, they're just making sure you don't get anymore. If you trim them, then you won't get hang claws anymore." Gingerly, she brushed the mane in Wendy's hand away and picked up a file. She handed it to Wendy. "You can do it yourself first, if you want."

Wendy frowned, but she did as Lucy asked, filing one claw slightly. She giggled. "It tickles!"

Lucy grinned. "There, it's not so bad. Look, afterwards, I'll take you out to eat whatever you want."

Wendy's eyes lit up. "Ice cream?"

Lucy chuckled as she ruffled Wendy's hair slightly. "You bet. Be a good girl, and we'll get ice cream afterwards."

Wendy nodded, and Lucy turned back to the four women. "She's all yours."

A woman nodded, looking relieved. "Thank you. I wasn't sure how we were going to get her back in the chair."

Lucy waved a hand as she walked over to her group of women. "Just take your time with her." She turned back to Wendy. "I'm right next door. So don't worry."

Wendy nodded as Lucy was led off again, and Lucy sighed, glad that the ordeal was over. She let herself be pampered and wrapped in a robe, which was calming, even when Clairee waxed her legs unexpectedly.

She was still gasping in pain when a man appeared in the doorway. "Um… Excuse me." He coughed, looking at Lucy. "I heard how you helped the girls next door, and I was hoping you could help us in the other room."

Lucy looked up, wiping away the tears in her eyes. "Who is it this time?"

The man shifted uncomfortably as Lucy stood up. "The scarecrow. He won't let us near him. Miss Evergreen's been trying to replace his clothes for the past ten minutes."

Lucy groaned, and one of the women giggled. "Good luck."

Lucy followed after the man, pulling her robe more tightly around her. She had a feeling she knew what this was about, and she rubbed her temples slightly as she entered the room.

Hay was scattered around the room haphazardly, the men standing back as Evergreen waved a new set of clothes in front of Natsu, who was fending her off with what looked like a coat rack. "Look here. We aren't killing you here, just take the damn clothes!"

"I don't want them! My clothes and straw are fine!" Natsu shot back, and Lucy breathed out a long sigh.

In five strides, she was next to Natsu, and she slapped the back of his head so hard, he fell forward onto the floor. Before anyone could move, she sat down hard on his back, glaring at him. "Natsu, you big baby. I expected this from Wendy, but you? You're an idiot."

Natsu turned his head so one eye could look at her. "Lucy?"

Lucy snorted. "Who'd you expect? The Wicked Witch?" She sighed, rubbing her forehead slightly. "What's wrong Natsu?"

He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'pants' and Lucy looked down at his damaged leg. "So I was right. This is about my patch."

Natsu looked up at her pleadingly, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm not letting you keep them."

Natsu tried to sit up, but Lucy smacked the back of his head again. "Don't get up. These guys had me come from my room to see you; I demand to know what's happening."

Natsu sighed as he looked away. "I don't want to get rid of the patch. It… It's special."

Lucy furrowed her eyebrows. "Special? Natsu, I ripped my dress so I could patch your leg up. It's not that special."

He grimaced. "It's not that. You… You'll probably be gone soon. I want something to remember you by."

Lucy blinked, startled by the sudden confession. It was true; she was probably going to have to leave him behind to return to Fairy Tail when the Wizard sent her back, and she smiled slightly as she patted his head. "Then ask for something else, not a ripped, dirty piece of cloth." She paused, untying a ribbon from one of her braids. She knelt on the ground and picked up his arm, tying it around his right wrist. "There. Now you'll have something else to remember me by."

Natsu looked up at her, blinking slowly as if he was trying to register what had happened, and she chuckled slightly at his expression. In a bold move, she kissed his cheek. "Now please. Let Evergreen and these gentlemen work their magic. I'll see you later."

She stood up and waved to the bemused and astonished people in the room. "I'll show myself back." She said, walking back to her room.

She half expected someone to fetch her to talk to Gajeel, but thankfully the rest of the pampering session went uninterrupted. When the women were done, Lucy couldn't help but gasp. She doubted that her own experience with make-up had ever made her look as beautiful as she was right now, and she grinned at them. "Thank you!"

The women bowed. "No, thank you Lucy. We've never had a client who hasn't argued with us before about every little detail."

Clairee nodded. "And frankly, none of them have ever been a beautiful as you."

The women nodded in agreement, and Lucy flushed. Amanda squealed slightly. "God, she's even prettier when she blushes!"

The head beautician shook her head as she ushered the girls out. "We've left you some dresses to choose from. We even left some masks for you to wear to tonight's ball. Your group is probably out in the lobby waiting for you."

Lucy nodded as they shut the door, and she walked over to the dressed. They were all varying shades of green, but her eyes fell on one in particular. It was such a deep emerald, it was almost blue, with a short skirt that would only barely reach her knees. It had black design over the top, with one strap went over her left shoulder, emerald jewels sewn around the chest and bodice. She smiled as she pulled it on, marveling at the perfect fit. This dress had been made for her, without a doubt.

She paused as she pulled on a pair of black ankle-height boots at passed as fashionable heels that tied up in the front, staring at the red heels still on the table. Glinda said she shouldn't take them off, even for a minute, but one night couldn't hurt, right? She hastily shoved the shoes into her basket and she grabbed a mask that had been paired with the dress quickly from the table, stuffing it into her basket without a second thought.

Levy was waiting in the lobby, talking on the phone in a rushed tone. "-nna, I don't care. You march in there and demand he get on the phone with me right now. I know his schedule, he's free until-" She sighed, rubbing her temples as Lucy drew closer. "Fine. I'll tell them then. See you later then."

She hung up the phone, turning around. She smiled when she saw Lucy. "Lucy! You look gorgeous!"

Lucy grinned. "You look amazing yourself!"

Levy blushed a bit, pulling slightly at a lock of her hair. "It's not much. A bit of make-up, and Evergreen curled my hair a bit."

Lucy shook her head. "It looks wonderful." She glanced at the phone, and Levy followed her eyes.

She sighed. "You heard that, didn't you?" When Lucy nodded, Levy shook her head. "The Wizard said he'll see you tomorrow after the ball, and he's asked I show you and your friends around town today."

Lucy shrugged. "Well, even if it's tomorrow, I can wait a bit longer to see the Wizard. I did want to see the sights around here." She paused. "What exactly is the Wizard like?"

Levy's eyes widened, and she gasped. "What do you mean? Have you never heard of him before?"

Lucy shook her head. "All I've heard is he's the Wizard. Not much else."

Levy grinned. "Then, first things first. I'll take you to the library if you want, you can read up all about him!"

"A room full of books. Why does this not sound appealing?"

Lucy grinned at Gajeel as the Iron Man walked over, and she looked him up and down. "You're looking tons better Gajeel. New suit?"

Gajeel smirked slightly, flexing an arm. The movement didn't even cause him to squeak. "Yep. Cleaned up and oiled beautifully. The guys here really know how to work out rust here."

Lucy nodded, walking around him for a minute and inspecting him. "How was it?"

Gajeel shrugged. "Kinda like getting a massage. Really relaxing." He turned, and his grin widened. "Looks like shrimp here got prettied up too."

Lucy laughed as Levy turned bright red, but she was distracted as someone barreled into her. "Lucy!"

Lucy looked down, patting Wendy's head. "Hey Wendy. How'd it go?"

Wendy grinned. "Really good! They cleaned up all my matted fur. They even gave me new bows!" She pulled up her mane, and Lucy chuckled at the ribbons tied throughout the fur.

"I meant to ask you before, what's with your mane? Is it a hood, or an actual mane?"

Wendy looked down, flushing. "Well, ever since I was little, I've been unable to grow my own coat. So my mother had a coat made for me that grows fur for me. I added the mane myself a few years ago, hoping it would help me be scarier. But I don't wear it all the time. I get mistaken as a boy too much."

Lucy frowned. "What do you mean, you don't grow your own fur? What happened."

The happy look on Wendy's face faded, and she looked scared. "It was terrible. I don't like to talk about it, so please don't ask."

Lucy patted her head. "Don't worry. You don't have to tell me unless you want to."

Wendy looked relieved. "Thanks." She looked around the room. "Where's Natsu and Plue? I thought they'd be here by now."

"Your snowman's here." A woman said, smiling as she walked forward, holding the dog. "We gave him a new collar after his bath." She frowned as she handed the dog to Wendy. "You do know that he looks really strange when he gets wet, right?"

Lucy nodded. "He's always done that. But thanks for the warning."

The woman bowed. "Certainly. Your other friend is should be out shortly; they were just replacing the last of his straw when I passed by."

Lucy nodded again as the woman walked off, and she glanced down the hallway where Natsu's room was. When she saw him appear, she grinned, walking towards him.

Wendy was so wrapped up in playing with Plue, she missed the fact that Lucy had left until she heard the blonde's voice further down. She glanced up in time to see Natsu storm off angrily, Lucy huffing as she walked back to the group. "I'll do whatever I want to do Natsu!"

"And you have fun with that!" He retorted angrily, storming outside.

Wendy raised an eyebrow. "What was that about?" She asked as the blonde neared.

Lucy shook her head. "Just Natsu being an idiot." She sighed, then glanced at Gajeel, who was frowning slightly. "Gajeel, can you go follow him? Make sure he doesn't get into trouble."

Gajeel nodded. "I've got some stuff to do as well. I'll see you guys later." He said, following after the scarecrow.

Levy watched him go, frowning. Lucy sighed, inclining her head to the door. "Shall we go?"

Levy nodded. She turned to the lady at the desk, who was watching the whole affair with great interest. "Send the bill to the Wizard's office. He's already agreed to pay for everything."

The woman nodded, and the trio of girls walked outside. Gray was waiting for them, and he bowed as they walked closer. "Your two companions, they-"

Lucy waved him off. "They wanted to go exploring without us."

Levy nodded. "Where did you park the carriage? We'd like to go to the library next."

Gray motioned over his shoulder. "It's parked just a bit over there." He smiled at Lucy, picking up her hand. "Now that the business is finished, may I escort this ravishing beauty to the coach?"

Lucy smiled as he kissed her knuckles, and she nodded. "Certainly. By the way, the offer from earlier…?"

"Still stands." He said, taking her arm. "Have you made your decision?"

Lucy nodded. "I would love to go with you to the ball." She said as they started their way back to the coach.

Gray beamed. "Then I am the luckiest man in the world. We'll make the entire ball jealous then."

Lucy giggled as he helped her into the carriage, and she sat down in one of the seats.

Wendy, however, looked absolutely confused as she sat down, and Levy shared her expression as they both stared at Lucy for a long minute as the carriage began to roll away. Lucy looked away, unable to look at either of them. "What?"

Wendy's mouth was pulled into a frown, and she stared at Lucy strangely. "You're going to the ball with Gray? I thought…"

Levy nodded, filling in the last sentence for Wendy. "I thought you'd be going with Natsu."

Lucy flushed slightly. "Nope. Natsu missed his chance." She snorted, brushing a strand of blonde hair from her face. "Stupid, jealous idiot."

Levy's eyes widened. "Was that what that fight was about? He didn't want you to go with Gray?"

Lucy nodded. "I was trying to hint that I wanted to go with him, but he got all offended and jealous, and started making all these comments." She sighed, rubbing her forehead. "And I said some things I shouldn't have. It just pissed me off how he got all angry and started saying that Gray was shifty and weird, just because he doesn't know Gray."

Levy raised an eyebrow. "So… Do you like Gray?"

Lucy frowned, turning to look at the girls across from her. She sighed after a long moment. "I admit, I do want to know him better, and I do like him, but not in a romantic sense. Maybe it's just me and my cruddy memory, but I feel like I know him." She shrugged. "I feel bad for leading Gray on like this, but I was hoping to goad a reaction from Natsu. One that would mean I'd be dancing with Natsu at the ball."

Levy patted Lucy's hand. "Things will work out. Things like this always do."

Lucy nodded, turning to look out the window. "I hope you're right."

The carriage fell silent, and Lucy stared out the window, wondering if what she was doing was right, leading Gray on to make Natsu jealous. She huffed slightly at the thought. So what if Natsu got all upset? She didn't care what he did anymore. He could go with a toe rag for all she cared.

Her thoughts turned back to Gray, and she frowned out the window. She barely knew Gray, but she felt like she was crossing some boundary that was never supposed to be toed.

The carriage stopped outside of a large building, and Levy stepped out first. She went to talk to Gray, who nodded and left with the carriage. Levy turned back to the pair behind her, grinning. "Well, that takes care of him for the rest of the day. By the time we're done here, we can walk to the party."

Lucy looked up at the impressive building. "This is the library?"

Levy nodded. "It's got a little café inside if you're both hungry."

Wendy looked at Levy, biting her lip. "Is… Is there ice cream?"

Lucy and Levy laughed, and Lucy took the lion's paw. "If there isn't, we'll make a special stop afterwards for you."

Wendy looked pleased with this decision, and she soon found herself licking happily at a vanilla cone as she sat in a chair, watching the two older women examining books.

Levy was in full 'teacher' mode, chatting away as she explained Oz to Lucy. "Oz is a rather large country, and the Wizard rules over all. The Emerald City is right in the center of Oz, where the three big. main providences intersect. The first is Gillikin to the North, and Glinda rules over that. Then there's Munchkinland to the East, where you rule. And finally, there's the Vinkus, where the Witch of the West resides. It used to be a beautiful country, but she called a fierce drought that killed almost everything there."

Lucy frowned as she looked at the map. "How harsh."

Levy nodded. "Then there's three other provinces, but two to the north are rather small. The last one is to the South called Quadling Country, and there used to be a witch who ruled over it, but she was killed years before I was born in the War of the Witches. There's nothing left there anymore, it was the battleground for years."

Lucy glanced up from her book. "War of the Witches?"

Levy nodded, handing her a new book. "It was a terrible war. The Wizard hadn't arrived, and the 4 witches all battled for the power to rule." Lucy nodded as she flipped through the pages of the book, Levy still prattling on. "The witches Urtear and Meredy versus Glinda and Chelia. When Chelia fell, many in Oz believed that the Wicked Witches had won, but then a miracle came."

Wendy nodded, finishing off her ice cream. "The Wizard!"

Levy nodded. "He came and saved us all. He got the Witches to agree to a truce, which they all signed. As long as he still lives and rules over Oz, they are not to harm one another. Only witches that have not signed the treaty are exempted from the rule, like Lucy."

Wendy picked up a book, grinning. "How?"

Lucy glanced up as Levy launched into her next spiel. "The Wizard has great, magnificent powers. He came to us from the heavens in a marvelous flying contraption, amid a huge thunder and lightning storm. His powers know no bounds; he cleansed a lake that was poisonous to go near in Munchkinland, he destroyed a demon that the Witch of the West had created to kill Glinda, and he destroyed the taint in the Quadling Country that made it uninhabitable. Then he built this city for the people who had lost their homes in the War of the Witches and swore to never let it happen again."

"Amazing!"

"And that's just the beginning! He's done so much, I'll start after the War of the Witches was finished!"

Lucy frowned as silently set the book down. She liked Levy, but she wanted to find out more information about the witches here in Oz, not the Wizard. She stowed away silently, drifting through the rows of books.

She wasn't sure how far she'd wandered, but from the state of the dust on the books, it was further back than anyone cared to look. She drifted down an aisle, her fingers traveling across the bindings of the books lined up in neat little rows. Her hand traveled across one book, and she reeled in shock as she scooped it from the shelf, eyes wide.

The book wasn't very thick, a dark green cover with golden writing around it, and she mouthed the title silently. "Fairy Tail."

She opened it, scanning the pages. It was full of hand-written words that sounded familiar, magic, guild, family, and she bit her lip as she read about the world in the book. She was surprised, it sounded amazing there. A guild of people who could use magic of all kinds, fighting against with each other constantly, but with an unbreakable bond they all shared together. She frowned at the word the book used, and she repeated it. "Nakama."

Her head hurt, and she rubbed the heel of her hand against her temple as she stared at the word. That word seemed so foreign, yet so familiar, she couldn't wave away the feeling she was getting.

_"… to Happy and Lucy. We are all nakama."_

She grimaced as a memory resurfaced, a large ape-like thing charging as that pink-haired man from her dream said spoke, and she shook her head. What was he doing there, in those thoughts? He was a dream, a figment of her imagination caused by those poppies. She shut the book, looking at the cover again. Her brain was getting fuzzy again, and she shut her eyes, trying to fight off the buzzing in her ears.

"Can Juvia help you?"

A woman's voice broke the fog around Lucy's brain, and she opened her eyes, turning to face the intruder, smiling. "No, I'm fine. Just a little preoccupied."

The blue-haired woman raised an eyebrow. "Juvia would say so. This is a section that's off-limits to the public without authorization."

Lucy set the book back on the self. "I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Juvia would assume so." Her eyes flickered to the book, and she smiled. "Oh, are you interested in fairy tales? You should have asked sooner, we keep most of our collection out front."

Lucy glanced back at the book. "Fairy Tales? No, I'm looking for information about Fairy Tail, a guild, just like in this book." She frowned. "If this is a fairy tale book, why is it in a restricted section?"

The woman frowned. "That particular book is a rather dark read miss. It was written about 10 years ago by a woman known as Lucille Heart, but she died before its completion. There have been companions to it over the years, each guessing the ending; some happy, and others sad, but Miss Heart wasn't the most optimistic person."

Lucy glanced back at the book. "Can… Can I take it? I'm rather curious about the world in the book."

The woman's mouth pulled into a thin line, and she shook her head. "Juvia is sorry, but that's the original. Juvia can't let it walk out of here." She turned to go, gesturing for Lucy to follow her, and, in a rash decision, Lucy grabbed the book and hastily stuffed it into her basket before following.

The woman led her back to the main area hastily, and she gestured to another section. "If you want to read one of the companions to that story, they're over there."

Lucy nodded. "Thank you. I'm sorry, but you never told me your name."

The woman's eyebrow raised. "My name is Juvia. Juvia works here as a librarian."

Lucy smiled. "I'm Lucy. Pleased to meet you."

Juvia balked, and her eyes widened. "Lucy? As in Lucy the new witch?" She curtsied. "Juvia is sorry she didn't recognize you straight away."

Lucy shook her head. "No one does."

"Lucy! There you are!" Levy appeared from a row of books, grinning madly. "I was wondering where you slipped off to. I see you've met Juvia."

Juvia smiled at Levy. "Afternoon Levy. Are you showing Lucy around town?"

Levy nodded. "It's almost time for the ball. Are you coming tonight?"

Juvia's smile faded. "Juvia wasn't thinking about it. Juvia has too much to finish up here."

Levy pouted. "All work and no play makes Juvia a dull girl." A sly grin crossed her face, and her eyebrows wriggled suggestively. "You-know-who's going to be there."

Juvia turned pink. "Is Levy sure? Juvia has heard Gray say he would never go to such a flashy party without good reason." She looked away, a frown forming on her lips. "Gray has already expressed his interest in Juvia, and his lack of. Why should Juvia care if he goes to the ball?"

Levy glanced to her right at the blonde. "He's going with Lucy actually."

Lucy saw the dark look flash across Juvia's face, and she put up her hands in defense. "It's not like that!"

Levy nodded curtly. "It really isn't. She was trying to make someone jealous, but she really doesn't want to go with Gray."

Lucy nodded in agreement. "If you, perhaps, maybe kept him preoccupied, maybe he'll realize he likes you instead." She sighed, brushing some hair from her face. "I don't know what happened between you two, but you obviously care about him Juvia. He expressed his feelings about you, but did you tell him yours?" She clasped Juvia's hand, grinning. "Come with us to the ball!"

Juvia bit her lip, but she nodded. Levy grinned. "Excellent. Next stop, Juvia's house to get her ready, and then the ball!"

Lucy couldn't help but grin herself, feeling extremely pleased with the way things were turning out.

* * *

Hey Hey Hey! :D Lucky chapter 7 is here!

I'm so happy I finally got over this beast- it was by far the hardest to write thus far. Many days went into trying to transition all these pieces together, since I had them all written out of order. This is also the longest chapter thus far, taking up over 15 pages in my word document on my computer, and it was supposed to be even longer, cause the ball was supposed to end this chapter.

But for now, enjoy the torment of a GrayXJuviaXLucy love triangle while Natsu goes and is... Natsu... somewhere. I really don't know what he did this chapter other than cause drama for no reason.

Natsu- Oi!

Anyways. Read, review, comment! I love to hear from my readers, it really brightens my day when you guys leave reviews.

Next stop- The Ball! :D


	8. Dance With The Devil

Chapter 8- Dance with the Devil

"Are you sure this is okay?" Juvia asked for the hundredth time as they entered the ball, and Lucy shot her a glance.

"You aren't chickening out on us, are you now?" She muttered, readjusting her mask, and Juvia looked slightly affronted.

Levy nodded beneath her own teal-green mask. "Relax Juvia. It's a party, not a wake. Smile!"

Juvia smiled half-heartedly beneath her own mask of emerald green as they entered the room, and Lucy found herself gasping.

Saying that the people of Oz knew how to throw a party was a bit of an understatement. The room looked amazing to say the least, the entire room looked like it was a garden, green hedges surrounding the walls and creating little cubicles where tables sat, waiting expectantly for occupants. The hedges were covered in blood red roses, just like the one Gray had given her, and she pulled it out of her basket as she thought about what Levy had said they were supposed to signify.

Wendy gently took Lucy's other hand, smiling bravely beneath her own yellow and green mask. "It's alright. Let's go sit down and wait for the others." She proposed, and Levy nodded.

"Let's. The tables will go fast, and I don't want to stand all by myself all night." Levy said, and Lucy caught the look of disappointment in her eyes.

Lucy handed the rose to Levy with a grin. "Well, if no one asks you to dance, then we'll have to. I'm not going to let a friend be a wallflower all night."

Levy grinned as she took the rose with a shake of her head. "Thanks Lucy."

Juvia chuckled as they began their path to an empty table. "Not like Droy or Jet would let you alone if you let them come."

"Exactly." Levy sat down at the table, frowning. "I need to rest my feet sometimes."

Lucy sat down, pulling Wendy along with. "I wonder where the guys are. They've got Plue, right?"

Levy shook her head. "He fell asleep in the carriage, so I had Gray take him back to the Wizard's castle. Lisanna is looking after him right now. I figured you wouldn't want him running around at the ball."

Lucy breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness. He could get into all sorts of trouble here."

Levy nodded. "Exactly." Her eyes widened, and she grinned. "Gray! There you are!"

A man dressed all in green strode up to them, whisking his top hat off, revealing his messy black hair as he bowed to the table. "How'd you know it was me Levy?"

Levy grinned. "Only you would show up looking like an old man."

Lucy laughed, and Gray grinned. "Lucy, may I ask for this first dance?"

Beside them, Juvia squirmed slightly, and Lucy shook her head. "I'm going to wait a bit more for Natsu and Gajeel. How about you ask my friend here first though? She's been ever so excited to dance, but no one asked her."

Gray turned to Juvia and smiled, bowing to her. "She was next on my list to ask of course. What a shame a beautiful woman like yourself wasn't asked to dance." He pulled a rose from thin air and tucked it behind Juvia's ear. "May I?"

Juvia flushed bright red, but she nodded, taking his hand. As the pair walked to the dance floor, Levy nudged Lucy. "Smooth."

Lucy shrugged. "I try my best."

During the next song, a waiter came by and took their orders for drinks, and Lucy hummed slightly with the song as she waited. "The music here is wonderful."

Levy nodded as the drinks arrived, and she sipped hers thoughtfully. "Only the best for these parties." She glanced up, eyes picking out Gray in his top hat and Juvia in her mask. "The song's about to end."

Lucy sat up a little taller as she sipped her own drink, giggling as the bubbly drink tickled her nose. "Let's see if it worked."

Wendy nodded. "Masqurades are quite fun. I wonder if he knows its Juvia."

Levy shook her head. "That's the beauty of it. He's such a dunce, he hasn't even noticed yet. He's going to ask her for another dance."

True to Levy's word, when the band began their next song, Gray and Juvia stayed put, still dancing. Levy gasped at the song, smiling dreamily. "I love this song."

"Then may I ask for this dance?"

The trio turned, eyeing the newcomer dressed in a tuxedo of lime green, a full faced mask covering his face. Lucy grinned as she shoved the blue-haired girl out of her seat. "She'd be honored."

Wendy watched as the pair walked away, and she frowned. "I thought she was waiting for Gajeel."

Lucy giggled as she sipped on her drink. "Wendy, use your eyes. That's our Iron Man right there. He tried his best to hide his metal skin, but his hands are still that silver color. Not sure where he got the tux though."

Wendy sipped on her drink, smiling. "Good call."

Lucy chuckled. "I try my best."

A few dances past, and Wendy and Lucy chatted the entire time, waiting for Natsu. Finally, when the fifth song was finished, a man appeared, and asked Lucy to dance. Wendy prodded her forward, and Lucy took the offer, leaving her basket behind in Wendy's care.

She knew this man wasn't Natsu, his orange hair gave that away almost immediately, plus the fact he whispered sweet nothings into her ear the entire dance. When the song ended, she made her escape, only to be captured by man after man.

No matter what, as she spun round and round the dance floor, she kept glancing back at the table. Natsu still hadn't appeared, much to her disappointment, and at the end of the song, she said good-bye to the orange-haired man again and began to walk back to the table.

But when the next song began to play, there was roars of excitement as people began to flood the dance floor again, blocking off Lucy's escape. To her horror, a hand found hers, and pulled her back into the mix.

She turned to face the newcomer, groaning softly under her breath. "I'm sorry, I just-"

"Dance with me." It wasn't a request, it was an order, and Lucy gulped slightly as she looked her new partner up and down, suddenly realizing she didn't want to disobey this person's order.

Her new partner was a woman, a few inches taller than Lucy, but unlike everyone else in the room, she was wearing a long dress of blood red with golden leaf designs on it. Her mask hid the top half face, but it was the same blood red color with gold designs, with a pair of horns on the top. Lucy gulped, nodding, and her partner began to dance with her.

"I didn't expect to find you here, Lucy of Fairy Tail."

Lucy bit her lip. "You know my name?"

The woman nodded. "Yes. I also know more about you than you do right now."

Lucy's eyes widened. "How?"

The woman shook her head. "Spoilers." She frowned as she spun Lucy in a circle. "You have taken off your ruby slippers."

Lucy's eyes shifted back to the table, where her basket. "So what if I have? One night won't hurt, will it?"

The woman made a noise that sounded suspiciously like a laugh, but there was no humor in her eyes. "It hurts you more than you notice."

"What do you mean?"

The woman shook her head. "You don't belong here Lucy. The longer you stay in Oz, the harder it will be to leave." She pulled Lucy in close and whispered into her ear. "Follow your heart Lucy Heartfilia. It will not lead you wrong. And for heaven's sake, don't take the shoes off ever again." She muttered quietly before kissing Lucy's cheek.

Lucy stood stock still as the woman backed up and curtsied before slipping away through the crowd. She dashed forward, trying to follow after the red devil. "Wait! How do you know that name?"

The only answer she got as she left the dance floor was a laugh that hung in the air tauntingly. The woman had disappeared, leaving no sign of where she'd run off to.

Lucy rubbed the spot that the woman's cheek had touched, and when her hand came red, she walked away to the bathroom. 'At least no one would bother me here.' She thought as she pushed open the door. To her relief, the room was empty, and she moved to the sink, taking off her mask.

She sighed as she wet her hands, rubbing her hand across her cheek as she tried to erase the lipstick. She watched as the red began to fade, but her mind was elsewhere. Her head was still spinning in circles. Who was that woman? How did she know her name; even her last name?

Lucy rinsed the remnants of the lipstick away, watching as the red washed down the drain, and behind her, the door opened. She turned around, hand reaching for her mask, but she relaxed at the pair of people walking in the room.

Levy and Juvia were giggling as they entered the bathroom, and Juvia's eyes widened as she saw Lucy. "Lucy! There you are!" She rushed forward, hugging her tightly. "Thank you! ThankyouThankyouThankyouThankyou!"

Lucy wheezed slightly as Juvia crushed her lungs. "Juvia… Can't… breathe…."

Juvia set her down, but her grin didn't fade for even an instant as Levy chuckled. "Sorry Lucy. She's just excited because-"

"Because Gray asked Juvia on a date!" Juvia finished excitedly, practically spinning in circles with excitement. "And he knows its Juvia too!"

Lucy grinned. "That's amazing! Congrats!"

Levy nodded. "How's your night going so far?"

Lucy's smile faded, and she turned back to the mirror. "Badly. A bunch of weirdoes keep asking me to dance, and on top of it all, some strange lady kissed me on the cheek."

Levy looked slightly perturbed, but she patted Lucy on the shoulder. "Well, don't you worry. Your fairy godmother Levy is here to help."

Lucy chuckled. "I won't turn into a pumpkin at midnight, will I?"

Juvia helped Lucy put her mask back on, beaming. "Levy means that she has a surprise for you that will brighten your mood."

Levy nodded, looking gleeful. "A pink-haired surprise."

Lucy's eyes widened behind the mask. "He's here?"

Juvia winked. "And waiting for you, I think. He hasn't left the table since he got here."

Lucy bit her lip. "He… He isn't mad is he? We both said some nasty things to each other."

Levy and Juvia exchanged a look, and Levy smiled slyly. "Why don't you go find out for yourself?" She said, and when Lucy looked warily at the door, Levy and Juvia hooked their arms and dragged her back outside.

Wendy waved them over, smiling broadly. "There you are! You see, not all bathroom trips take 80 hours Gajeel."

Gajeel pulled a face, his mask sitting on the table, but he grinned as Levy sat down next to him. "I see you found our fearless leader."

Levy nodded as Gray stood up, looping his arm through Juvia's. "Care to take a walk?"

For how excited Juvia had been, being by Gray made her just a puddle, and all she could do was nod as he led her away. Lucy bit her lip to keep from giggling. "Cute."

Wendy nodded her agreement, but the last member of the group stared after them, a scowl on his face. "I don't think anyone could claim that weirdo was cute."

Lucy felt her temper flare slightly, but she brushed it aside as she turned back towards the table. "Hey Natsu. You took your time getting here."

Natsu shrugged, but Lucy caught a faint blush on his cheeks. "Yeah. I had… stuff to do."

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "What kind of stuff?"

Natsu fell silent, and Levy, Gajeel, and Wendy all rolled their eyes at the same moment, much to Lucy's enjoyment. The band onstage began to play a faster song, and Wendy smirked, leaning forward. "Ooooh. I love this song."

Gajeel looked down at Levy, but she waved him off. "No thanks. I want to rest my feet a bit. We still have all night."

Natsu watched the exchange, and Lucy bit her lip, waiting for him to ask her.

Much to her annoyance, Natsu made no such move, and she was about to walk away and give him up as a bad job when there was a loud thump. "Flame-brain, don't just sit there!" Gajeel growled, and Lucy turned just in time to see him pull his leg back down beneath the table.

Natsu was on the floor, glaring at Gajeel, and with a small smile, Lucy pulled him to his feet. "Come on Natsu. It's a ball. Let's dance."

Natsu turned slightly pink as he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm really sorry Lucy… But I don't know how to dance."

Gajeel looked positively livid, and Lucy bit her lip to keep from laughing outright at the pair of them. "Then there's no better time to start learning then." She said, grabbing his free hand and pulling him gently to the dance floor.

Natsu tried his best to lead, but it was like a bull in a china shop. Lucy winced slightly as his right foot caught her left one again, but she smiled slightly. "I'll lead, alright?"

Natsu nodded dumbly, and Lucy chuckled as she set directed his hands where to go, his left holding her right as she used her other hand to put his right hand just a bit underneath her left arm before she set her left on his shoulder. "Don't worry. We'll get Gajeel back."

Natsu shot a glance at the table, frowning slightly. "How? It's not like anything we can do to him will leave any damage."

Lucy smirked evilly. "We'll toss him in a pond or something. See how fast he rusts again."

Natsu chuckled. "Ooh, you are an evil one."

They both laughed as the song finished, and the band finished their song, melding right into a slow number. Lucy recognized the song, and she flushed slightly. Of all the songs…

_I sing it one last time for you…_

_Then we really have to go._

_You've been the only thing that's right_

_In all I've done._

Natsu looked a little awkwardly around the room, and Lucy suddenly became aware of everyone else. Everyone was dancing with barely any room between them, and at arm's length she and Natsu were the farthest apart. Natsu's hand was still just a bit below her shoulder blade, sitting there awkwardly like he wasn't sure what to do with it. Gently, she took his hand and set it on her hip. "That'll be a bit more comfortable for the both of us." She muttered, turning slightly pink, and Natsu flushed the same color as his hair.

"Y-yeah."

_And I can barely look at you_

_But every single time I do_

_I know we'll make it anywhere_

_Away from here…_

Lucy couldn't look at Natsu anymore, and she kept her gaze fixed on the floor as reality came crashing back down around the blonde. God, what was she doing now? Making Natsu jealous, leading him on like this. It was like the Emerald City was some strange, addicting drug, wandering these streets made her want to be closer to Natsu, even if staying with him meant not going back to Fairy Tail.

_Light up, Light up_

_As if you have a choice_

_Even if you cannot hear my voice_

_I'll be right beside you dear._

Natsu's hand, which had been balled where Lucy had placed it, unfurled slowly, and Lucy was glad the upper part of her face was hidden as her cheeks burned. "Lucy, are you alright?"

Lucy nodded quickly. "Yep. Just fine."

She could practically see the eyebrow moving beneath Natsu's mask. "Luce, I know you well enough to tell that you're lying." He glanced at the roses around the room. "Still thinking about what Levy said about you and the witch?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, it's just…" She sighed, looking up at him as she bit her lip, her mind made up. "Is this right Natsu?"

Natsu frowned. "What do you mean?"

Idly, Lucy's left hand brushed some dust from Natsu's shoulder. "I mean, is this right? I do really like you Natsu, but I have a home, a family far from here."

Natsu's hand tightened a bit around her waist. "Fairy Tail."

Lucy nodded. "There's already someone waiting there for me, and I can't let just forget about him like this. Everyone keeps telling me to follow my heart, but it's never been so indecisive."

Natsu's mouth quirked into a smile. "How would you know? You don't remember anything about your past."

Lucy couldn't help but smirk herself as she elbowed him. "Shut up. That's not what I meant."

Natsu's smile dimmed slightly, and Lucy could see the sadness in his eyes. "Does this have to do with that dream you had?"

She nodded. "I dreamed about Fairy Tail, how hurt they were that I was gone. Part of me wants to find them, to tell them I'm still here, still alive, and part of me…"

"Wants to stay here?" Natsu finished, and Lucy nodded.

_Louder, louder._

_And we'll run for our lives_

_I can hardly speak, I understand_

_Why you can't raise your voice to say_

"But I can't. I mean, I'm human, and you're… well…"

"A scarecrow."

It wasn't a question, but Lucy nodded again, unable to see the hurt flash through his eyes as she turned away. "We could never really be together, in the grand scheme of things. I don't belong here, in Oz, and you do. This would never work."

They weren't even dancing anymore, just standing in the middle of the dance floor as the song continued to play, and Lucy stared at the ground, unable to move as she fought back tears.

_Have heart, my dear_

_We're bound to be afraid_

_Even if it's just for a few days_

_Making up for all this mess_

_Light up, light up_

_As if you have a choice._

_Even if you cannot hear my voice_

_I'll be right beside you dear…_

Natsu grabbed her hand as the people around them began to clap for the band, and he pulled her away. She let him lead her away, she didn't want the people here to see her tears as they fell. He led her to a gap in the hedges that led outside, but she barely marveled at the garden outside as he tugged her along a hedge to a secluded area with a bench.

He sat down, pulling her beside him, and he took off his mask so she could see his face. After a long moment, he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "To be honest Luce, I knew this was coming."

She sniffed, taking off her own mask to rub away the tears. "You… You did?"

Natsu nodded. "Ever since you got me off that blasted post. I knew that, while I may follow you to hell and back, you'd leave me eventually. It was inevitable. But that still didn't help." He blew out a long breath. "It still didn't change the way I felt."

Lucy blinked, opening her mouth to speak, but Natsu continued on, staring at his hands. "I wish I was human again. This would make it easier for us, but maybe harder in the long run."

"Again?" Lucy asked, and Natsu nodded as he ran a hand through his pink hair.

"Once, a long time ago, I was human, just like you. I wasn't very old, maybe 6 or 7. People talk about the war like it's a thing of the past, but it didn't happen that long ago. I had a father, or I do. I'm not quite sure how we were separated, but we lived on a farm on the edge of the Vinkus and the Quadling Country. The drought had hurt the farm, but we were happy until IT happened. I still remember the day the farm caught fire, and Dad hid me in the barn underneath some straw we had in there for the animals to sleep on. That was the last time I saw him, leaving the barn with the pitchfork."

Lucy's eyes widened. "What happened?"

Natsu's gloved hand balled into a fist. "The Witch. I found his pitchfork later, when all was said and done, but no sign of him. People talk about their encounters with the Witch, how they barely escape with their lives, but most of the time those stories are lies. They don't know how cruel she really is."

"She… She turned you into a scarecrow?"

Natsu nodded. "She found me in the barn, and she laughed as she did it. She said that if I loved straw so much, I should become part of it. Whatever the spell was, when she cast it, I passed out. When I came to, the barn was on fire, and I was just like this. I ran away, left the farm behind."

Lucy scooted closer, taking one of his hands. "I'm sorry Natsu. If there was a cure…"

Natsu shook his head. "There isn't. I searched, but there's nothing anyone could do." He set his other hand on Lucy's, and, to her surprise, he smiled. "But I told you that to tell you this. To me, being here with you, I've never felt so close to being human again. I've always accepted my fate and been fine with it, so I'm happy to be here with you, just like this."

Lucy felt her eyes begin to water, and he rubbed the back of his head. "I'm sorry, I'm really bad at these sorts of things."

Lucy shook her head, wiping away her tears. "Well, you're doing a pretty good job, despite being a brainless oaf."

Natsu grinned, then he reached into his suit jacket. "Here. I got you something."

Lucy watched as he pulled a white flower from his jacket, and she smiled as he handed it to her. "It's beautiful."

Natsu looked away, flushing slightly. "I bought it from a guy while I was out with Gajeel. The man said it was called a moon flower, and it only blooms at night. I figured it was better than any crudy rose you've received."

Lucy couldn't help it, she chuckled slightly. "I thought people were supposed to give roses tonight."

Natsu shrugged. "I know how you hated it when someone talked about how you killed the Witch of the East. You always get this real sad look, and I figured you didn't need another reminder."

Lucy smiled as she pinned moon flower to her dress. "Thank you Natsu. You don't know how much that means to me."

Natsu helped her pin it to her dress, smiling slightly. "It's white and pure, just like you Luce." He paused, brushing a strand of her hair behind her ear. Their eyes met, and Natsu gulped slightly. "Just as beautiful too."

Lucy flushed as Natsu scooted closer, taking her hands gently. "Lucy… I know we've only known each other a few days, but I can't shake this feeling. I… I love you. I've never felt this way before about anyone, human or not."

Lucy's blush reached her ears as he reached up, cupping one of her cheeks gently. Her heart was going about a million miles an hour, and as he leaned in, she closed her eyes, waiting.

What caused her eyes to flash open wasn't Natsu's lips on hers, but a loud explosion coming from the ball room, and the pair jerked apart as people began screaming.

Lucy felt like murdering something as she jumped to her feet. "What was that?"

Natsu looked slightly put out as well, and he stood up. "I'm not sure, but it didn't sound good."

They ran back to the ball room, and Lucy's eyes widened as she saw the chaos inside. People were pushing each other, trying to escape as the Wicked Witch cackled onstage, waving her broom. "Lucy~!" She called in a sing-song voice. "I know you're here!"

Lucy gasped, shooting a glance at Natsu. "How did she know?"

Natsu frowned, stepping forward to block her from the witch's line of sight. "I don't know, but this isn't good."

Lucy nodded in agreement as the witch spoke again, calling out over the sea of heads. "Lucy! This is your last chance! Give me the shoes, and you and your happy little friends can leave Oz in peace! Ignore my request, and even the Wizard won't be able to stop me! I'll rain fire and hell on the people of Oz, just you watch!"

Natsu grabbed Lucy's hand, pulling her into the crowd. "Shit." He muttered, and Lucy grimaced.

"My sentiments exactly."

His eyes shot down, and his eyes widened. "You don't have the shoes?"

Lucy shook her head. "We have to find Wendy. They're in my basket."

Natsu looked livid. "Idiot! They were the only thing protecting you before!"

Lucy winced at his tone. "They didn't match the dress. And I didn't think I'd need them tonight!"

The look on Natsu's face as he came to a halt was incredulous, and she pulled him along. "Come on! We aren't going to find Wendy this way!"

They reached the table as the Witch called out again. "Lucy! This is the last warning! The shoes!"

Natsu looked worriedly around, searching for the others as Lucy neared the empty table. "Where the hell did they go?"

Lucy shook her head as her eye caught a flash of yellow. She dipped down, breathing out a sigh of relief. "Wendy!"

Wendy shivered underneath the table, clutching Lucy's basket. As her eyes fixed on Lucy, she looked incredibly relieved as she clambered out. "Lucy! The witch!"

Natsu shot her a look that said, 'No duh', but Lucy took the basket, patting her on the head as she yanked off her black shoes. "Where's Gajeel and Levy?"

Wendy glanced at the front, shaking slightly. "Levy wanted to get some fresh air, so Gajeel took her out front. I was so scared Lucy, I didn't know what to do but climb under the table."

She made to dive back under the table, but Lucy grabbed her tail. "No dice, little lion." She said, pulling out the red shoes and pulling them on her feet. "We need to go, quick. You did the right thing, I'm not sure we'd have ever found you if you hadn't hidden."

The witch screamed, and Lucy felt the hairs stand on the back of her neck. "If this is how it is going to be, then fine!" She yelled, and her hand erupted in fire. "My minions!"

Natsu jolted slightly at the sight of the flame, and Lucy grabbed his hand as she led the way out. "Come on!"

Something swooped overhead, and Lucy caught sight of a flash of wings as the three bolted for the exit. The thing set fire to some drapes, and she ducked as things started crashing down, the fire spreading rapidly.

Levy and Gajeel were outside, and both looked relieved as Wendy, Natsu, and Lucy exited the now flaming building. Levy rushed forward, hugging Lucy quickly. "Thank god you three are all right! What happened? We heard the explosion, but they wouldn't let us back in."

Natsu grimaced. "The witch. We need to get out of here, now."

Levy nodded. "My place is a few blocks away. We can stay there."

Lucy nodded as the windows shattered behind her, causing Wendy to jump and cower behind Gajeel. "Let's hurry."

The group ran off, and Lucy chanced a glance back as the building burned, people trying to douse the flames to keep it from spreading. She watched as something flew away into the air, and she bit her lip as she followed after Levy. Whatever happened next, Lucy was sure this wasn't the last she'd seen of the witch.

Not by a long shot.

* * *

Happy Birthday!

Or Happy Unbirthday to most of you.

Whoohoo! Chapter 8 finished, and things are picking up steam! Who was that lady in red? Will Natsu ever get to kiss Lucy? Or is the author/the Witch too cruel and twisted to let such a thing happen?

:3 I'd bet on the last one.

Only 6, maybe 7, chapters left in the story, and I gather the feeling this is going to be a book by the time I finish it. Already the word doc is at 69 pages (hehehehe) and I have so much more to type!

Thank you for all the reviews, specially from passwordrawr who never fails to review a chapter. I love them all, no matter how big or small. :D

I wish you could all see this dress I found online that I put Lucy in. It's really pretty, and as a tomboy, I would just like to say I would wear this dress. Once. Alright, maybe twice. It's a green and black prom dress with all these black beads, and the model's blonde. If you type in green dresses on google images, it is on the first page.

As always, reviews and comments are welcome, but this is the end of Lucy's adventure in the Emerald City. Now all that's left is...

Ah ah ah. Spoilers. :D

If you get the reference, yay! If you don't, you uncultured swine. (NOT REALLY. I still love you.)

Oh! I nearly forgot. If you're wondering what the song is, it's Run, by Snow Patrol. If you've never heard it, go listen to it on youtube. If you're into Hetalia, I suggest watching Run [FrUK] Mad. It's really beautiful, and you get SOO many feels watching it, it doesn't matter if you don't support the pairing.

Cheerio and tater tot my good fellows! Until next time! I'm off to get FUCKED up and play bingo at the Elks Lodge. And for those that don't know, the Elks is a supper club for old people.

THIS SHALL BE MOST FUN. :D


	9. Distant Tyrant

Chapter 9- Distant Tyrant

There was something about the blue and checkered dress that made Lucy feel at home, maybe because she'd worn it ever since the beginning of her adventure in Oz, but when it turned up at Levy's home the next morning, she pulled it on without a second thought. Evergreen's people were amazing, they'd fixed it so it looked just like new, and she made a mental note to thank the woman when she saw her next as she followed Levy back to the Wizard's.

Levy was oddly quiet as they walked, lost in thought as she walked beside Gajeel, and Lucy was glad for once. Her stomach was twisting in nervousness at meeting the Wizard; she couldn't have carried on a conversation even if she wanted to.

The rest of their group was no better, Wendy kept trying to turn back and go to Levy's again, but Natsu stopped her every time. It had gotten to the point that he was holding her paw as they walked, and not until they passed Elfman at the front of the palace and the large doors shut behind them did Natsu let Wendy's paw go.

Lucy couldn't help but be a little jealous of Wendy. She wanted nothing more than to cower behind Natsu as well, her own nervousness beginning to over-boil inside her and slowly turning into fear.

What if the Wizard never gave Gajeel his heart?

What if he cruelly laughed at Wendy and sent her packing without a hope in the world?

What if Natsu never got a brain?

What if the Wizard told her Fairy Tail didn't actually exist?

What if she was living a lie?

"Hey. You ok?" A quiet voice next to Lucy spoke, and Lucy turned her head to meet Natsu's eyes.

He saw the fear in her eyes, and he smiled a crooked smile that had Lucy weak at the knees. "Don't worry Luce. I'm here for you. We'll make the Wizard send you back home, if it's the last thing we do."

Wendy nodded her agreement, taking Lucy's other hand, and while Lucy saw a subtle trace of panic in her eyes, Wendy looked determined. "We'll make sure you get home. Even if we have to walk there ourselves."

Lucy smiled at the pair of them, squeezing their hands. "Thanks guys. That means a lot."

"Oi! We seeing the Wizard today?"

Gajeel stood by a large door, eyeing them testily, and Lucy chuckled. "He has no sense of mood, does he?"

Natsu blinked, not understanding the word. "Mood?"

Lucy frowned. "Atmosphere."

Natsu snorted. "Why would he have a sense about the atmosphere?"

Lucy rolled her eyes and shared a knowing glance with Wendy. "Never mind. Come on Natsu."

Natsu snorted. "Weirdo."

Lucy shot him a glare as she moved her basket so Plue could sit more comfortably in it. "Am not."

Natsu laughed as he ruffled her hair. "Lucy's weird!" He yelled out as he dashed for the slowly opening doors.

Lucy groaned, covering her eyes with her newly freed hand. "There's just no winning with him, is there?"

Wendy chuckled. "Now you're getting it."

Wendy and Lucy laughed all the way through the doors at Natsu's expense, but when the doors shut behind them, their laughter died into the quiet hall. Natsu and Gajeel were eyeing another set of doors warily, and both gulped comically at the exact moment when Lucy and a quivering Wendy reached them.

Natsu couldn't seem to stand still, bouncing backwards and forwards on the balls of his feet. He rubbed the back of his neck, and Lucy watched as straw began to poke through the seams.

She sighed, patting him on the back. "Bit… creepy, isn't it?" Gajeel said in a low voice, and Lucy nodded.

"But I'm not going to be stopped by a bit of creepiness." Lucy said, more aloud for herself to hear than the others, and she pushed open the doors.

Wendy tried to sprint back to the other doors as the room behind them was revealed, and Natsu and Gajeel looked grim as they trudged slowly after Lucy, each taking one of Wendy's arms. The throne room was unlike the rest of the Emerald City, it was dark, and the green walls shone with a strange black light. Lucy gulped. She couldn't help but feel that this was the throne room of a tyrant, not a benevolent saint.

"_WHO GOES THERE?"_ The world shook as a large specter appeared, glowing an unearthly green as he glared down at them. _"WHY HAVE I BEEN DISTURBED?"_

Lucy gulped as she stepped forward. "I-I'm Lucy." She managed to wheeze out, panic gripping her chest.

_"SPEAK UP. THE GREAT OZ CAN NOT HEAR ALL THE MUTTERINGS OF LITTLE WORMS."_

"I'm Lucy!" She yelled up at him, balling her fists. "And I-"

_"SILENCE. THE GREAT OZ KNOWS ALL. THE GREAT OZ KNOWS WHY YOU'RE HERE. SCARECROW!"_

Natsu jumped a foot as he was called forward, and he bowed awkwardly to the Wizard, taking off his hat and wringing it in his hands. "Y-y-yes?"

_"YOU HAVE THE AUDACITY TO COME HERE AND ASK FOR A BRAIN."_

Natsu nodded hurriedly, twisting his hat further. "Well, yeah." He shuffled a bit. "I mean, if you just happen to-"

_"SILENCE! AND YOU TIN MAN, YOU'VE COME FOR A HEART."_

Gajeel looked livid. "Oi! IRON man!"

_"SILENCE! AND LASTLY, THE COWARDLY LION. A LION TOO SCARED TO FIGHT BACK TO SAVE IT'S OWN SKIN, ISN'T IT?"_

Wendy froze for a full second before she crumpled to the ground. Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "Shame on you! Scaring poor Wendy like that. She just came to ask for some courage!"

_"ENOUGH! LEAVE AT ONCE, AND NEVER DARKEN THIS DOORSTEP AGAIN. THE GREAT OZ HAS SPOKEN!"_

Lucy jumped to her feet, and she moved forward. "Wait! There's got to be something!"

_"THERE IS NOTHING. THE GREAT OZ-"_

"Has spoken, yeah. Got that part." She gathered her courage. "I want to get back home to Fairy Tail. I'll do anything! Anything at all!"

The Wizard's spectral face frowned, and finally he spoke. _"BRING ME THE BROOMSTICK OF THE WICKED WITCH OF THE WEST."_

You could have heard a pin drop in the room. "W-what?" Lucy asked, and the Wizard nodded.

_"A WORTHY TASK FOR A WITCH OF YOUR CALIBER. BRING ME HER BROOMSTICK, AND I'LL SEND YOU HOME."_

"Deal!" Lucy retorted, nodding dumbly as her voice cracked a bit. "I'll do that then."

_"NOW GO!"_

The command was so powerful, Lucy stumbled backwards as the spectre disappeared. Gajeel shot a foot off the ground, letting go of a now conscious Wendy's paw. Wendy bolted from the room, and Gajeel and Natsu chased after her. Only Plue remained, rubbing Lucy's arm as Lucy walked from the room, slightly shell-shocked.

When she entered the main lobby, Levy rushed forward. "How'd it go?"

Lucy gulped slightly. "Where's they all go?"

Levy glanced out the open front doors. "Gajeel and Natsu went to go get Wendy. Why? What's happened?"

Lucy let out a long breath, staring into the distance. "Levy… I have to go get the broomstick."

Levy frowned. "Well, that's not all that bad. There's a store just around the corner that-"

Lucy shook her head. "Not a broomstick. THE broomstick. Of the Wicked Witch."

The girl behind the counter dropped the phone in her hand as she stared dumbfounded at Lucy, and Levy shot her a glance. "It… It'll be okay." She said, patting her on the shoulder, but from the movement to Levy's tone, Lucy knew she was screwed.

"How? You'd have to kill the Wicked Witch, she never lets her broomstick leave her hand!" The girl behind the counter asked shrilly and Levy shot her a look.

"Lisanna, you're NOT helping! Lucy, just- Lucy? LUCY!"

Her legs gave out, and Lucy fell to her knees, dumbly staring at her hands as Levy rushed about, getting her a chair. She'd only defeated one witch, and that was by accident, in forces outside of her control.

How was she going to kill one who had a vengeance against her?

* * *

BAH!

GUESS WHO WON AT BINGO!

Not me. Some little old lady in the back won EVERY. SINGLE. BINGO.

All 20 of games. D:

FML

THIS GAME IS RIGGED.

GAH!

Tirade over! Sorry about the wait! I've been trying to update every Thursday or Friday, but this chapter was so short, I wanted to post the next one up as well with it. But that one's been bull shitting me, and I've deleted it and rewritten it about a thousand times already, so it'll be up next week.

More questions answered! Less time wasted! Continuation of this story! That's my motto!

...Oh god. I became like the Jiggle-butt gang. D:

Anyways. Hope you enjoyed! Reviews always welcome!

-Kitkat


	10. Hunting For The Witch

Chapter 10- Hunting for the Witch… But I'm Not Afraid!

Lucy's hand tightened around the handle of Gajeel's axe, an axe that Lucy recognized as powerful and intimidating, but useless in Lucy's hands. She sighed as it tapped lazily against her side, but she wouldn't give it back to Gajeel anytime soon. Not with dumb, dumber, and dumbest in tow.

She was seriously debating on if the thought that either the world was full of weirdoes, or if she was possibly a weirdo magnet. And as Lucy glanced back at her companions, she guessed it might be the latter.

Lucy couldn't believe the three following behind her, and their weapons of choice. Natsu, with his lack of knowledge, had picked up a knife that had just about the deadly efficiency of a butter knife. Wendy was no better, she'd picked out a large butterfly net. Even Gajeel's weapon was terrible, he gave Lucy his axe, chuckling about how she used it better than him against Wendy as he picked up a large monkey wrench.

And while Lucy couldn't admire how it was impressive it was, in the sense that if someone got clubbed over the head with it, they weren't getting up any time soon, she couldn't help but wonder why anyone would want a monkey wrench so big.

Her hands gripped the axe in her hands tightly as she thought about where they were headed, the path that they were taking. No one traveled this road anymore, the road that led to a giant palace deep in the Vinkus where the Wicked Witch lived. Where she kept beings and demons, and one broomstick that never left her hand.

Kill the witch, get the broomstick. It sounded so simple in Lucy's mind, but she wondered if they'd even survive walking through the Vinkus.

The path forked up ahead, and Lucy stared down the twin paths, noting that one opened out into what looked like the edge of the forest, while the one on the right led down a dark path, deeper into the woods. Lucy glanced at the sign post, frowning. "I'd go back if I were you." She read aloud, and Wendy squeaked slightly.

"G-g-g-good idea! Let's just go and-"

Gajeel and Natsu caught her readily. "Right path then?"

Lucy nodded. "Seems so."

Wendy made a strangled cry, and Gajeel sighed. "Come on pipsqueak. Nothing bad is going to happen."

Wendy gulped. "Don't say that Gajeel! People say that, and then terrible things happen!"

"Where'd you get that?" Lucy asked, leading the way.

Wendy looked down. "I was watching the other night, when you all got back from the ball and sent me to bed to watch a movie. I came back out in time to see that guy get chopped into pieces by that chainsaw."

Lucy groaned. "That's why we didn't want you watching that! Wendy…"

Natsu chuckled. "Well, that was a movie Wendy. Stuff like that doesn't happen in real life."

"Then those things really aren't following us, are they?"

Instantly, all three froze, and Wendy pointed up in a tree. "See? Right up there. They've been watching us since we entered the forest."

Lucy gulped as the creature took flight, flying away quickly. "It's just your imagination, right." She said, shaking her head. "They just live in the forest."

The looks Gajeel and Natsu gave her told her she was fooling no one, but Wendy grinned happily. "I'm glad. I've never seen animals like those before." She said, skipping on ahead, her butterfly net swishing happily behind her.

Lucy shot them a look. "Don't you dare tell her otherwise."

Gajeel shook his head. "I'll go stick with her. We don't need to get separated so quickly."He shouldered his wrench, calling after the lion. "Oi! Wendy!"

Natsu was warily watching the trees. "I don't like it. If she knows we're here, why hasn't she attacked yet?"

Lucy looked down. "Must be the shoes. Maybe she can't do anything while I have them on."

Natsu frowned, but he nodded. "Just stick close."

"Aye!"

Both froze as a voice spoke up, and Lucy grabbed Natsu's hand. "I… I didn't hear that."

Natsu shook his head. "Nope. And I didn't either."

They booked it, to catch up with Gajeel and Wendy. Lucy was growing increasingly nervous as they moved closer to the Witch's castle, and more than once she nearly offered to hang back with Wendy, who was becoming just as jumpy. It had gotten to the point that Gajeel was carrying her on his back, just to keep her from sprinting away.

It was only Lucy's resolve to get the Witch's broom and get back to Fairy Tail, and Natsu's presence next to her that kept the blonde going. She didn't know why, but he felt so familiar, it was like she'd known him forever, not less than a week.

They had been traveling in silence for over an hour when Gajeel came to a stop. "Wendy… You're going to need to get off for a bit."

Wendy froze, panic in her eyes as she slid off his back. "What… What is it?"

Gajeel was staring a bit farther ahead. "Something's up. There's something in the road up ahead."

Lucy moved around Natsu, and her eyes caught a lump of blue on the ground. Carefully, she walked closer to it. The others hung back slightly as Lucy neared it, and Wendy jumped a foot when Lucy gasped. "It's a cat!"

She scooped the creature up, examining it. It looked just like a cat, other than the ridiculous blue fur that made Lucy think she'd seen it before somewhere. A name appeared in her mind, and she shook it gently. "Happy?"

The cat's eyes opened, and they widened. "How do you know my name?"

Lucy frowned. "I… I don't know. What are you doing out here by yourself?"

The cat grinned. "Looking for you!"

"Happy! There you are!"

Lucy looked up at a black cat, perched on a limb, and she stood up. "Lily?" She asked, and the cat's eyes widened even more.

Happy grinned, standing up on his back feet as he waved at the other cat. "Lily! She knows your name too! She must be a really good witch!"

Lily growled. "Happy! Come on! We've got new orders."

Happy saluted. "Aye!"

Lucy jumped back as a pair of wings appeared, and Happy flew up into the tree. Lily stared at her, frowning. "You shouldn't be here. What brings you to the Vinkus?"

Wendy gasped, eyes wide. "There's still Exceed here? I thought the Witch killed them all off."

Happy waved. "Aye!"

Lily grimaced. "She nearly did, but the last of us still serve our Queen."

Gajeel frowned. "But I heard your Queen died ages ago. In the War of the Witches."

Happy shook his head. "We serve a new Queen now. Queen Urtear."

"What?" Natsu yelled, stepping forward. "You serve the Witch?"

Lily nodded. "And we've been sent to collect." He made a strange noise, like a howl and a meow mixed together, and Exceed began to appear everywhere. "Get her!"

Lucy screamed as Exceed began to swoop everywhere, and the axe dropped uselessly to her feet as Lily knocked it from her grip. She watched Plue jump from her basket, trying to fight, only to be captured by a white Exceed.

She tried to chase after the cat, only to be grabbed by a pair of paws herself. She yelled as the Exceed began to fly away, only to have Natsu smack the cat away, pulling Lucy back down. "Don't worry Luce, I-"

Wendy screamed as she was whisked away, and Natsu's eyes widened. "Wendy!"

Gajeel tried to catch her, but there was just too many. They were swarming the Iron Man, and she saw Lily flying. "Tear the Strawman apart! We don't have time for this!"

It was so hectic, there were so many Exceed, and Natsu tried to protect both him and Lucy as the cats began to rip him apart. Lucy was so busy trying to beat them away she didn't notice the Exceed grab her until she was high above the trees.

"Natsu!" She yelled, and the cat glanced back.

"I'm sorry."

She looked up, noticing Happy holding her. "Why?" She asked, her voice catching, and the Exceed looked away.

"Our Queen may be the Witch, but it doesn't make me a heartless monster." The cat said softly, and Lucy smiled up at him.

"Well, I don't think you're a heartless monster Happy."

Happy shook his head. "If we had a new Queen, we could rise against her. But…" He looked down. "We don't have any females left. Or if we do, the Witch has hidden them where no one can reach."

Lucy looked up at him, smiling sadly. "I'm sorry."

Happy flew her to the large castle in the distance, and he dropped her off on a terrace, high above the rest of the world. "The Queen will be here soon." He said softly before flying off, and Lucy nodded as she walked into the room.

Wendy was huddled in a corner, crying softly as she hugged Plue, but the second she saw Lucy, she dashed forwards. "Lucy!"

Lucy hugged her, patting her head. "I'm sorry Wendy, I got taken too."

Wendy shook her head. "She's going to kill us, I know it!" She whimpered.

Lucy shook her head. "Don't worry. Natsu and Gajeel will be on their way, and they'll get us out of here before you can bat an eye. You'll see."

"How charming." Lucy pushed Wendy behind her as the door opened, revealing Urtear. The tall, green woman waltzed into the room, smirking slightly. "It's been much too long Lucy. Did you like my little show in the Emerald City?"

Lucy frowned. "What do you want?"

Urtear smirked. "The shoes, as always. A little girl like you, who doesn't use them properly."

Lucy shook her head. "Never."

Urtear chuckled darkly. "Just as stubborn as always. But now you've fallen into my trap, and this trap you won't escape from with Glinda's help." She snapped her fingers, and Wendy jumped. "My my. It seems we have another visitor."

"You won't hurt her!" Lucy said fiercely, and the Witch chuckled.

"Why would I? I've cursed her once, just like all your friends. The little lion, too afraid to roar, and scared right out of its skin." She neared the girls, eyeing Wendy.

Wendy shuddered, and Lucy frowned. "What do you want?"

Urtear chuckled. "If you don't mind, I have something to ask the lion first." She shoved past Lucy, sending her flying across the room. "The Cowardly Lion. Do you remember me?"

Wendy nodded quickly, still clinging to Plue. The Witch ran a finger across Wendy's jaw, eyeing her. "So then you remember what I did to you, don't you? Tell me."

Wendy shuddered, looking away. "You… You skinned me alive. Left me to die."

"I'm impressed to see you're still alive. I made your pelt into a cloak." Her hand drifted down to Wendy's shoulder before it clenched fiercely. "And I'd do it again just for the pleasure of it."

Wendy shivered, and Lucy sat, back pressed against the wall as she stared in horror. Wendy had been put through that torture?

The Witch chuckled. "But I'm not all bad. I'll give you one last chance. I can skin you again…" Both Wendy and Lucy winced at the thought, "… Or you can kill Lucy."

Wendy's eyes popped out of her head. "What?"

The Witch gestured to Lucy. "Kill her, and I'll let you walk free from here. I'll even have a Exceed fly you all the way to your forest, so you can live there, free from my clutches. All you have to do is kill her."

Lucy and Wendy stared at each other for a long moment, and Lucy could see the panic in her eyes. She wanted so badly to leave and never return, it was written all over her face. Lucy looked away, preparing herself for the worst.

"I won't."

Lucy's eyes snapped open, and the Witch hissed. "What?"

Wendy nodded. "You heard me. I won't kill her. Lucy is the first person who hasn't been ashamed to be seen in my company, and showed me real kindness. I'm not going to betray her like that."

The Witch's face hardened. "Then you'll be skinned alive. And you won't walk away from this one."

Lucy jumped to her feet. "No!" She dashed over, hugging Wendy tightly. "If you kill her, I'll never give you the shoes. You can't forcibly take them from me, nor can you kill me. If you harm Wendy, I'll make sure you never get these shoes. Ever."

Urtear frowned, but she snapped her fingers. Lily flew in the open window. "My Queen?" He asked, and Lucy caught the distaste in his tone.

"Take the Lion to the dungeons. See how a starvation diet suits her." She glared at Wendy. "After a week you won't turn away my offer so easily."

Wendy held onto Lucy's hand, and Lucy smiled at her. "Don't worry. The boys will get here soon. We'll have you out before you know it."

Wendy nodded as Lily led her away, Plue still in her arms, and the Witch smirked as the door shut behind them. "If only."

Lucy shook her head. "You don't know the guys. They'll save us, for sure."

Urtear brushed the hair out of her face, revealing an empty eye socket as she crossed the room. "Those two? They never got along a day in their lives, you were the only thing holding that group together." She waved a hand over a glass ball. "Come see."

Lucy moved closer, and, to her horror, she saw the Witch was right. Natsu was in tatters, shouting at Gajeel as the Iron Man hastily stuffed straw back into his body. Even though there was no noise, Lucy could see them bickering, and she slumped to her knees.

The Witch chuckled. "My crystal ball sees all. Don't worry Lucy, you will have a place to stay while you wait."

Lucy looked up. "What?"

Urtear smirked. "I will make you an offer as well. You may leave with that Lion and all your friends, but you'll have to give me the shoes. If you don't, then you'll work for me until the day you die, waiting for those boys, and I'll take those shoes from your cold body. I'll get those shoes in the end Lucy. It just depends on you."

Lucy looked down at the ground. "When do I start?"

The Witch cackled. "You'd rather wait here than leave today? Fine Lucy. But just know I'll break your spirit faster than you can say 'Fairy Tail'."

She turned on her heel, leaving the room, and Lucy stared at the crystal ball. "Hurry up Natsu." She whispered, putting a hand on the ball. "I'm counting on you two."

* * *

"And you do this every day?"

Happy nodded. "Aye!"

Lucy wiped her brow with the back of her hand. "How boring."

Happy copied the motion comically. "Aye."

Lucy chuckled as she rubbed his head. "Come on, let's get back to work."

Happy pouted. "Lucy's mean! Making me do all the work while you sit there!"

Lucy rolled her eyes as she began to scrub again. Talking with Happy was like running in a never-ending loop, they might talk for hours and bring up the subject of fish hundreds of times, but Lucy was glad for his company. Working in the Witch's castle wasn't a very pleasant job, and it was better to have someone with you, even if that someone accused you of ridiculous things at every turn.

"So, you were telling me about the Exceed. What's this Exaltia you were talking about?"

Happy grinned as he began to dust the hanging candelabras. "It's Extalia. But it's supposed to be a beautiful world, with hundreds of Exceed and a Queen who rules over them lovingly and cares for all, big or small. It's a sacred place for us."

Lucy smiled. "It sounds wonderful. Why aren't you all there, right now?"

Happy frowned slightly. "My mother said we were cast out of Extalia. Hundreds of years before I was born, an Exceed did something so terrible, he and all his followers were sent to Oz. Normally, Exceed don't have wings on Extalia, but Mom said that it was our curse. It flies, miles above our heads, where we can't reach it. To fly close by, but never reach it, no matter how hard we try."

Lucy scrubbed a dark stain on the stone in front of her. "So you're being punished because of something your ancestors did?" When Happy nodded, Lucy frowned. "That's stupid. You're someone completely different than your parents."

Happy smiled at her. "One day, I hope I'll make it back. There's an Exceed that lives there, and I have to tell her something important."

Lucy glanced up. "How? I thought you couldn't reach Extalia."

Happy nodded. "I can't, but there's Exceed that fly to Oz sometimes. They leave the area we can't reach, and I met her that way. She promised to talk to the Queen for us, but I haven't seen her since before the War of the Witches." He balled a tiny fist, looking up. "One day. One day, I'll make it to Extalia and tell her how I feel."

Lucy smiled. "With a fish?"

"Aye!"

Lucy chuckled as she took the second ribbon from her hair. "I gave one of these to a very dear friend of mine. You can have the other one, to give to her if you want."

Happy took it, then began bawling. "Lucy's being mean again!"

Lucy laughed as she tied it around his paw. "Come on weirdo. This hallway's done."

Happy sat on her shoulder as she stood up. "I'm not a weirdo. Lucy's the weird one!"

"I am not!"

"Are too!" Happy said, flying into the air. "You get these weird gooey eyes whenever you think about that Natsu guy! Only weirdoes do that!"

"Come back here!" Lucy yelled, chasing after the cat. He led her on a merry chase through the castle, and Lucy finally caught him when he slipped through a low doorway. "Gotchya! Take it back! I am not weird!"

Happy began making choking noises, even though Lucy's hands were no where near his neck. Lucy shook him slightly. "Come on! Say it!"

"L-lucy?"

Lucy froze, looking around the room. "Wendy?"

A paw appeared from a small grate, and Lucy dropped Happy to kneel on the ground. "Wendy, is that really you?"

The little lion peered up at her, smiling bravely. "Yeah. You aren't the Witch, tricking me again?"

Lucy shook her head. "Wendy, I'm so sorry. Natsu and Gajeel aren't here still."

Wendy smiled. "It's fine. I guessed as much, those two would create a ruckus. How are you doing? The Witch said she's got you working for her."

Lucy nodded. "Cleaning mostly. But I haven't taken off the shoes, so she still can't get them."

Wendy nodded. "You've got to keep those shoes on Lucy. No matter what." Her stomach growled, and she glanced down, turning pink. "Sorry."

Happy landed on the ground next to Lucy. "You don't need to apologize. You've been in there nearly a week already."

Lucy withdrew her hand, fishing in her pockets. "I've been saving some scraps from my food in case I found you. It's not much, but it'll keep you going."

Wendy held out her paw as Lucy set the food on it, and she smiled. "Thanks Lucy."

Lucy nodded. "We've got to go, but I'll be back soon, with more food, I promise. And when we get out of this, I'll stuff you full of ice cream until your fit to burst."

Wendy's head bobbed up and down as her mouth began to water. "Hurry back. I've still got Plue, I'll give him some food too. And don't talk about ice cream anymore! It makes it even worse."

Happy led the way back into the main corridor. "Be careful. I won't say anything, but if the Witch finds out…"

Lucy shook her head. "It'll be fine. Natsu and Gajeel will get here soon."

"You still think they're coming?"

Lucy nodded. "You don't know Natsu. He'd never leave me here." She glanced up at the ceiling, where high above the Witch's room sat. "I wonder what she does up there all day."

Happy shrugged as they began to work on cleaning another room. "Mostly weather magic. It takes up most of her time, making sure that the rains never come here."

Lucy frowned. "Strange. Why not just let it rain once in a while? No one would ever move back here with her holed up here."

Happy shrugged. "Just the way it is."

Lucy sighed. "If anyone's weird in this castle, then it's got to be her."

"Aye."

They cleaned in silence, getting through another 5 rooms before Happy decided that was enough for the day. As he led her through the steadily darkening hallways as the sun slowly set, Lucy couldn't help but glance out a window longingly. With things how they were, Lucy wondered if soon she'd be locked in the dungeon with Wendy too.

* * *

Happy Cinco de Drinko! :D

NOT. I didn't drink at all last night, a real change from last year, so I don't have to double check what I wrote last night.

Poor Lucy- trapped in the Witch's castle and forced to work for the witch while Wendy's held captive, and Natsu and Gajeel are running around like chickens with their heads cut off. And for all of you getting your knickers in a twist because 'The Witch never caught the lion and took him to her castle, he stayed with the other two'- Actually, she did. In the book at least. And this is a mix of the book and movie, with your Fairy Tail twist. :D

This week is Finals Week for me- Yay! NOT

D:

I'll pick up my shattered dignity at the end of the week, but this is why I'm posting today. Because this will be the last chapter in over a week, maybe more. I have to pack up my dorm room, but I'll try typing as much as possible when I have free time (when I should be sleeping).

-Head thunks on ground- Please bear with me! Only 4 chapters left, and then the epilogue. :D One of my next story will be the events talked about in the last chapter by our mysterious lady in red. Forgot about her, didn't you? :3

Finally-

I wanted to talk about a story I've been writing for a while. A while back, there was this huge idea floating around FanFic, about dragonslayers. And for all you groaning, saying 'God, not ANOTHER story about a water dragonslayer', it's not that. Like it, but the main character, named Aqua, isn't all she appears. I have the first few chapters already written; should I just post it and say 'Fuck it'?

I also have another couple of stories I'm thinking about. One's called 'Laxus' Lovely Item' and the other is a one-shot about Lisanna and Bixlow. God, I know I'm weird, but I like that pairing almost as much as NaLu.

Post in that friendly little box down below if you want to me to post them, or if you just want to review this chapter. All words of wisdom are welcome- if something is confusing, and makes absolutely no sense, tell me so I can fix it. Chances are someone else has thought the same thing.

Cheerio! Have a kick-ass May, study hard! Finals suck, but don't let them get you in the dumps. I'm going to have this finished by June, I've already planned the last chapter will be uploaded on the 12th. :3 If you can guess why, brownie points to you, and the first person to guess right will get a special look at the future.

Good luck!


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